From the Pastor's Desk | March 31, 2024

Blessed Easter

Brothers and sisters, today we celebrate the joy of Easter!  The Lord is risen!  He is risen indeed!  Let’s emphasize the word indeed.  It happened!  Jesus Christ rose from the dead.  There are a lot of theories that attempt to debunk the resurrection as, at best, a myth, or, at worst, a lie or a hoax.  These theories are nothing new and easily debunked with evidence.  Jesus was a historical person who died on a cross then rose from the dead.  His body wasn’t stolen or hidden.  The Apostles and witnesses were not seeing visions, they were seeing the resurrected Lord.  Suffice it to say, more can be read about the historicity of Jesus’ resurrection by clicking here.
Jesus’s resurrection changes everything and it should change our worldview.  If our worldview is simply that there is no meaning to life our existence is merely to maximize pleasure and minimize pain.  Anything goes.  Truth is thrown out the window.  We certainly see this worldview as more prevalent today than ever before.  Everything has become relative.  Your “truth” might be different from somebody else’s “truth.”    
If our worldview is, however, biblical then there is a whole lot more to live for and there is much more at stake.  The biblical worldview can be summed up in four words given to us by Fr. John Riccardo in his book Rescued:
· Created - Why is there something rather than nothing?  Science can’t answer the question why?  From the biblical worldview we see that God created everything out of nothing; that he created everything, not out of need, but out of love.  And, his highest creation is the human person.  What is the human person’s destiny?  To be divinized - to be like God.  Not to be God but to participate in God’s divine life. 
· Captured - Something went wrong.  We use war-like or battle-like language to describe the spiritual life and sometimes we might tend to think there are two competing gods - the good god and the evil god.  Make no mistake Satan is a creature.  His name, Lucifer, means light bearer.  He was created good like all of creation.  He was created to bear the light of truth, the light of goodness, the light of God.  He however, out of jealousy over God’s plan, out of jealousy over his highest creation - humanity - he rebelled against God making God his adversary.  Knowing that he holds no power over God he goes after the ones whom he does have power over - you and me.  Because Satan is powerful, a master liar, and seductive we participate in his adversarial plan through sin.
· Rescued - God had a plan!  “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son (John 3:16).  We begin to understand His plan scripturally throughout salvation history and the prophets.  God sent his Son to rescue humanity from slavery and degradation.  How?  Through his Passion, Death, and Resurrection - the most fitting way as Tradition and the Church Fathers describe this plan.  When you look at a crucifix you might ask yourselves this question, if that’s the remedy, what does it say about the condition?
· Respond - we are called to respond to Christ’s saving action.  How?  By recognizing who Christ is, what he has done, and giving the entirety of lives over to him as Lord. 
Friends, we celebrate and commemorate God’s saving plan today as we celebrate Easter.  Satan’s mastery holds no power anymore because we have become a new creation.  Christ’s resurrection changes everything!  For that we should rejoice!  For that we should celebrate!  For that we should be happy!      
A blessed Easter and spring break to you all!
Fr. Ryan