Easter is the most important day of the church year. Today we celebrate Jesus’ willingness to die for our sins and his victory over death. His resurrection is foundational to our Christian belief. Many say to me that they believe this, but they do not understand it. That certainly was true when you read the gospel accounts of the resurrection. At first, there was confusion, fear, and sadness that eventually gave way to awe and belief.
Our celebration of Easter this year is unlike any in the living memory of anyone alive in the Church today. We are so accustomed to packed churches, along with abundant flowers in the sanctuary, resounding alleluias and so much more. And yet more than ever it is Easter as the Resurrected Christ promises us new life in these uncertain and perilous times. In a very real sense, we are taken back to the first century when there were no churches and Christians gathered in their homes to live and celebrate their faith. This is amply evidenced in the Acts of the Apostles as well as by Paul in some of his writings. “They devoted themselves to the teaching of the Apostles and to the communal life, to the breaking of the bread, and to the prayers…” (Acts 2:42) That same spirit is so alive today in so many ways and it fills us all with hope. These are living signs of the presence of Christ and His Spirit living in our midst assuring us that He is with us each step of the way.
We know that there are a lot of people who are suffering as we celebrate Easter this year. All of us are sustained by our faith and the promise of the risen Christ who is with us this Easter and is alive in each believer bringing this new life of Christ to our world. May this new life of Christ continue to fill your life with hope and promise in the 50 days of Easter and I look forward to that day when once again we will be together to celebrate the presence of the Risen One in our midst.
I wish to express my gratitude to all who are generously serving the needs of so many in our community – most especially the health care workers and first responders. I am grateful to all of you in our parish who are looking out for one another and your neighbors – especially the elderly and infirm. I am thankful to all here on our Seton staff that have made it possible to have our live-streaming liturgies as well as all of our services such as the nightly Rosary that you can all participate in and our always up-to date Webpage and Facebook page that allows you to connect with one another and vital Catholic services. How important this all is to be connected. If there is anyone in need, please contact the parish and we will respond to you as best as we can at this time.
Finally, I wish to extend my gratitude to all who have been continuing their support to the parish during these difficult times. We still have a parish facility to maintain so that it is ready and clean when you return, and utilities and a staff that we are continuing to pay.
If you have not already done so, please consider setting up a recurring gift at https://setonparish.com/give. You also may mail your check with you envelope to the parish, or you may drop off envelopes securely in a locked box as you enter the front doors under the portico and before you would enter the locked doors. Again thank for your for your generosity.
