From the Pastor’s Corner: Fr. Justus Alaeto:

Easter Favors and Blessings to you!

My brothers and sisters in Christ, Happy Easter to you and loved ones! In this year of 2022 Easter, we are celebrating the great events of human history. Jesus conquered the grave and rose from the dead. It is a triumph of light over darkness. It is a triumph of Joy over sorrow and troubles of life. The climax of our faith is Easter, because without the Resurrection of Christ, there will be nothing like Christianity.  

We started the Easter Vigil celebration, through the great symbol of blessing the fire outside and lit the Paschal candle which represent the Risen Christ dispelling the darkness of our life and our world. The light of Christ shining in darkness and overcoming the darkness. That light of Christ spreads, and we all draw our life and light from the light of Jesus Christ through the big Paschal Candle, and we are to spread that light to the world.  

At every Easter Vigil we hear the same readings repeatedly, reminding us about the beginning of our salvation, now fulfilled in Christ Jesus. The long readings of the Easter Vigil pointed out the gradual process of realization of God’s work of salvation in human history. 

The first reading taken from the Book of Genesis Chapter 1, recounted the story of creation, especially on the climax to the creation of man. The second reading taken from the book of Genesis chapter 22, brought to us the account of the sacrifices of Abraham, our father in faith. The third reading taken from the book of Exodus recounted the liberation of the people of Israel from Egypt, which was followed by Exodus chapter 15, which is the songs of a liberated.  We also enter the readings from the prophets, Isaiah, Baruch, and Ezekiel, which reassure us of the ever-faithful love of God

 The desire of God to realize His covenant with His people. We are those God’s people. All the readings of the Easter Vigil highlight the climax of the proclamation of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Jesus has conquered death and brought life to us again. We are to unite ourselves with this mystery and start a new life today with Jesus Christ, by throwing away completely, our old self.

The Easter Celebration is considered as the mother of all feats in the Catholic Church. Easter celebration is the heart of all gatherings of the people of God. We gather every Sunday because Jesus Rose on a Sunday. Every Sunday gathering now becomes the commemoration of the great events of Easter, to the prolongation of the same unique event, that Jesus conquered death and brought life to us.

Easter celebration is therefore challenging all of us here today, to come out from the limited way of perceiving life, to see beyond what is visible. Once we begin to enter things beyond human eyes to spiritual eyes, then we have started entering real communion with God, to whom we are following, through Jesus Christ. Seeing things with the eyes of faith, and trying to carry out your life and intention, exactly as the Mind and Heart of Jesus Christ. 

Pope Francis in his 2017 Easter message says, “The resurrection of Christ is our hope! This the Church proclaims today with joy. She announces the hope that is now firm and invincible because God has raised Jesus Christ from the dead. … She invokes the hope that can call forth the courage to do good, even when it costs, especially when it costs. Today the Church sings “the day that the Lord has made,” and she summons people to joy.”  My brothers and sisters in the faith, whatever struggle one may be encountering in life, when we look at the cross, and meditate on how Jesus conquered death and resurrected. Jesus at that point is saying to us, that is why I died for you. With Him all things are possible.

The challenge now, is to become witnesses through our new Easter encounter today. Our openness to Jesus Christ  may start today to be a new life, a new beginning for us, a new change, a new loving person like Jesus, a new patience person like Jesus a new holy person, a new person trusting in the Mercy of God, a new person encouraging others and not discouraging people and being envy all the time, a new forgiving person, a new person that is always positive in life and not negative, a new person that affirms people and not gossip and tarnish people’s image and put fire at the back, instead of harmony, a new person that sees good things, and not bad news and sad story all the time, even when you have Jesus Christ with you. 

A new person that prays, trust in Jesus, seeks counsel from the wisdom and love of Jesus Christ, and always open to embrace the Mind and Heart of Jesus Christ, trusting that with God all things are possible. Those are ways we die to our old self and put on the new life of Jesus Christ and become different, favored, and blessed by God, through the Risen Lord, Jesus the Savior.

May the spirit and joy of Easter touch and transform us and set new Divine fire of love in our hearts, so that people will witness in our life and action, that Jesus Christ is truly Risen in us.

Happy Easter!!!