FROM PASTOR’S COLUMN: FR. JUSTUS ALAETO  
We are Witnesses of Christ’s Paschal Mystery to us

The meaning of life diminishes when there is no love, self-denial, and sacrifice. Jesus’
love was seen clearly from His suffering. Jesus allowed Himself to go through trials and
difficulties in order to change false understanding about life.  Jesus’ resurrection brought new meaning and new direction to life. Easter is calling us to resurrect to new life in Christ.  Baptism first initiates us into that new life in Christ, and through renewal of our baptismal promises as we are going to do today.

We are all witnesses of Christ’s Resurrection by living the new life of Christ our Baptism
is asking us to do.  Our life should be the evidence that Christ is alive. A witness is
someone who was present at an event, saw what happened, and listened to what was said.
For example, the Apostles were witnesses because they had been with Jesus after His
resurrection, had eaten with Him, had heard His teaching, and saw His Miracles.
But how can we be witnesses from this Easter? To be true witnesses of Christ, we need to
undergo the experience of the resurrection. With our spiritual decision to start living like
Christ’s witnesses, we need to first of all renew our Baptismal calling starting within our
hearts and starting afresh with Jesus today. We shall renew our baptismal promises today
and sprinkle Holy Water. Easter is a great opportunity to start anew with Jesus and
become a living witness by our new way of life.  At the time of the renewal of our
baptismal promises, we shall reclaim new life in Jesus. Our Easter can start with that!
Whenever we are celebrating Easter, we are celebrating the fact that by the Grace of God
nothing from our old life will remain in us again.
At Easter, we are celebrating the fact that the action of Christ’s resurrection has changed
us to new life in Christ. We are celebrating the fact that we are making an effort to rely
on Jesus, the Savior.
We are celebrating the fact that we are making effort to leave sin behind and follow
Christ. We are making effort to accept God’s direction every day of our lives. At Easter,
we are celebrating the fact that we are making effort to change our hearts to the Heart and
Mind of the Risen Lord, Jesus Christ.
We are making effort to no longer harbor in our heart deceit, grudges, misunderstanding,
drunkenness, addiction, impatience, lies, gossiping and other things that kept us away
from the life of Jesus Christ.
The Easter celebration means that we are to spiritually die to those lifestyles that
contradict the life of Christ, and resurrect to new life and good works that bear witness to
the life of Christ.
Easter people follow Christ’s attitude toward everyone around us.  Living out Christ’s
attitude in our lives is a concrete way to show non-believers that Christ is alive in us and
in the world!
Let us pray that this Easter will bring new meaning and transformation to our life, our
families, and our world!

Happy Easter,
Father Justus Alaeto