Encouraging the Culture of Encounter with Jesus Christ, His Church, and All People Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Easter Season Continues! Just as our Lord stayed with His disciples for forty days until His Ascension, so we meditate during this time on the truth of the Resurrection in our lives. How are we living and witnessing to that truth, the truth on which the whole world is now hinged, whether the world knows it or not. People often speak of being on the “right side of history.” Well history is centered on the person of Christ and His victory over death. That’s the side we want to be on.

Encouraging the Culture of Encounter with Jesus Christ, His Church, and All People Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Happy Divine Mercy Sunday! We began praying the Divine Mercy Novena on Good Friday and it concludes today, the Second Sunday of Easter. Following all the Masses this weekend will be a brief time of adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, including the praying of the Divine Mercy Chaplet.

Encouraging the Culture of Encounter with Jesus Christ, His Church, and All People Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Happy Easter! Happy Day of Resurrection!! Rejoice in the Lord Who fulfills His promises and Whose love is overflowing even conquering death! I pray Lent was a grace filled time for you and that you made time to enter into the holy time of this past week. Now we begin to celebrate in a new way for now we focus on how the Lord is risen, not just was risen, but IS risen and continues to share with us the new life of God’s grace.

Encouraging the Culture of Encounter with Jesus Christ, His Church, and All People Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Entering Holy Week We now enter into the holiest week of the year. Hopefully we have persevered through Lent and we have grown in our trust of the Lord. Perhaps we feel that we have failed miserably. Even so rejoice for the Lord is merciful. There is still time this week to renew your commitment - God can do a lot even in a short time. All of our penance and prayer and fasting is meant to lead us to deeper trust. Ever more reliance on God’s grace is what leads us to holiness.

Encouraging the Culture of Encounter with Jesus Christ, His Church, and All People Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Entering Passiontide This week we enter traditional Passiontide. It is at this time that crosses, images, and statues are covered in the Church. This practice comes from our tradition of proclaiming John’s Gospel when Jesus, conversing with the Jews in the Temple and challenging them to know He is the Messiah, “hid himself and went out from the temple.” Thus we “hide” the images to help us prepare for Palm Sunday and Holy Week.