Our Lady Of Good Counsel

Happy Easter to you all!
 
"Why do you seek the living among the dead?
He is not here, but He has been raised."
 Luke 24: 5-6 

       Today we celebrate the resurrection of our savior and Lord. It is the very core of our faith. The journey of Lent led us to this Paschal feast and made the Holy Triduum culminate on Easter Sunday, which is the source and summit of our Christian lives. In Jesus, we have our way, our salvation, and our eternity. Easter makes it possible for us to say, "I live not I, but Christ who lives in me. All these things of this world; money, power, fame, and comfort; I deem nothing compares to the Kingdom of God, the eternal life."

       What is important is the Peace that Christ offers to us. The Father never abandoned Jesus. The Father raised him up from the Tomb. This is what we celebrate today. Jesus Christ is risen and lives among the living, not the dead. 

       We, as believers, are invited to embrace His path of mercy and forgiveness and to follow His command to love one another as He has loved us. Thus to enter into eternal life with Him. In our suffering and painful experiences of mistrust, cheating, betrayal and denial by loved ones and friends, we are called to be hopeful, and to trust in the Lord. He will raise us up as the Father raised Him up on the third day. The stone rolled over reminds us that we are to believe in His forgiveness and be people of Easter rather than of Good Friday. There is nothing in our past and no sin that Jesus can't forgive. They killed the author of life on Good Friday, but He came forth from the Tomb and raised up. Thus, He conquered sin, death, and all the powers of this world. He proved that He is the Lord and King to whom we pledge our allegiance and nothing of this world matters. Through baptism, we are made children of God and empowered with the mission to be people of Easter and not to be stuck in our past but rather to move to the new life in the Risen Lord.  

       Yes, hope is the gift of God to us that He will never abandon us, will always be there for us, and make us shine in His Kingdom.

       May the Holy Spirit empower us, and may
Our Lady of Good Counsel lead us.