March 31, 2024
Christus surrexit!
Christ is risen! On this beautiful Easter Holy day all of us here at St. Isidore and Holy Family pray for you all to receive the blessings and peace that the risen Lord brings to those who put their faith and trust in Him. It is a thought worth contemplating, how our good Lord even went through the gates of death in order for us to not have to be afraid. He died and rose again for us to show us that He is truly the Master and Lord of all things and that nothing is beyond His power or reach. Through His horrible suffering and bitter passion, He makes clear to us the real consequences of sin and evil. He shows us in a very visible way what the devil, through his temptations, is trying to do to the human soul by bearing out those marks of scourging and torture on His body. He made visible the unseen reality and gave us an image to contemplate of what sin really does, in all its ugliness and horror. The innocent lamb and perfect paschal sacrifice offered to His beloved Father all the pain and suffering for us. Imagine if we really truly appreciated that great love more fully on a regular basis!
As Archbishop Sheen once wrote: “Unless there is a Good Friday in our lives there will never be an Easter Sunday. The Cross is the condition of the empty tomb, and the crown of thorns is the preface to the halo of light.” Our Lord Jesus Christ has given us hope and reminded us of the literally undying love of God, that even the betrayal and crucifixion on Calvary could not stop God from loving us, as He burst forth from that tomb on Easter morning to show us that even death did not have the power to stop Him from loving us. He died and rose again for us. To increase our hope in the face of trials and sufferings, to remove the grip of fear that death had upon us. To show us in a very real way that he would never leave us behind and would not allow sin and death to have the last word. He, the light of the world that the darkness could not overcome, shines forth in the darkness of our world reminding us we are never alone and that if we ever feel lost or worried or anxious, we have but to look up and we will find Him close by us.
That is how much He loves us and what this glorious Easter day means for us.
Whenever we feel troubled or anxious in this world, let us remember the words of St. Paul from 1 Corinthians 15, 54-58: “And when this which is corruptible clothes itself with incorruptibility and this which is mortal clothes itself with immortality, then the word that is written shall come about: “Death is swallowed up in victory. Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brothers, be firm, steadfast, always fully devoted to the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.”
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