Easter Message

Dear Friends in Christ,

The chill of a March wind reminded me of the chill that descended upon the world as our Savior commended his spirit to the Father. The clouds of the sky darkened, the earth trembled and the Temple curtain was torn to mark his passing. The disciples fled each to his own place of refuge and the Blessed Virgin received the broken body of her Blessed Son. As one saint said, The world wept.” 

Then I look out my library window seeing the budding Dogwood and Red Buds joyfully marking the arrival of fresh life into the world, each being released from the death like grip of winter. Suddenly the promise of spring brings to each of us the realization that Easter is now upon us. A wonderful reminder that there is life following death, for our Lord has clearly shown each of us the way. The grave was only a stopping place to his glorious resurrection. Did he not tell all that he would us he would do so.

“Saying, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be delivered unto the chief priests, and unto the scribes; and they shall condemn him to death, and shall deliver him to the Gentiles: And they shall mock him, and shall scourge him, and shall spit upon him, and shall kill him: and the third day he shall rise again”. Mark 10:33-34

It was impossible in the minds of all that knew Him, yet in his glorified, resurrected body, Jesus the Risen Christ, appears to a woman who is weeping at the tomb. Peter and John in their disbelief go running breathlessly to the tomb to verify what has happened.  Later Jesus the Risen Christ shows himself to his bewildered and skeptical disciples who are hiding in the Upper Room. As the dejected disciples travel on the road to Emmaus, Jesus, the Risen Christ walks with them for miles and then sits down with them at a table. Jesus the Risen Christ has breakfast with disciples who have returned to the Sea of Galilee to work their fishing boats.

To all the skeptics this is the absolute proof of our Risen Christ. He was physically seen; he traveled and talked with his disciples. He sat and broke bread with those around him. He breathed on the disciples who were present in the room on Pentecost. As Catholics, we know in absolute certainty our Lord lives and it is our bounden duty to reach out and bring others to his Church. Any less effort would betray our very existence. 

As we celebrate this Easter, this joyful observance of the best true story of all time that continues to impact and change our lives, I rejoice especially for young people and those not so young who search daily for the same truth. As it says in the Gospel, “Why are you weeping?” or “Why do you search for Jesus here? He has been raised.” Jesus our Risen Savior teaches us that he will raise us up and he urges us to raise up others through our prayer and our good works done in his name. The Resurrection of Jesus Christ; that is an action story that we need to keep telling over and over! Alleluia!

With prayerful best wishes and Easter blessings,
        + Bob

Most Rev Bobby C. Hall, DD
Auxiliary Bishop