Dear St. Martin’s Parishioners,
He is risen! He is risen, indeed! On the day of the Resurrection, what do the astonished disciples do? They run like the wind: “So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples” (Mt. 28:8); “Peter rose and ran to the tomb” (Lk. 24:12); Mary Magdalene “saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb, so she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple” ( Jn. 20: 1-2).
The disciples’ excitement and unfettered joy before the reality of the Resurrection causes them to run for the first time in who knows how long. They have become like children again, overwhelmed by the discovery of something new and unprecedented. As we age, we become used to life, and we tend to walk unhurriedly from place to place. The Easter-morning sprint at the empty tomb knocks years off of the disciples’ lives. It’s as if the glory of the Resurrected Christ is already transforming them: “And he who sat upon the throne said, ‘Behold I make all things new’” (Rev. 21:5). The terrible burdens carried by disciples after their master’s passion and crucifixion have suddenly lifted. Their newfound youthful vigor is a sort of baptism: they have been born again. In their dash to and from the empty tomb, Jesus’ words find fulfillment: “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” (Mt. 18:3).
The world had grown old and tired, weighed down by sin and death (that old world is still with us). On Easter Sunday Jesus recreates the world, and unbeknownst to his apostles at the empty tomb, they are the first beneficiaries; they find their stride running to and from the tomb. St. Paul writes, “So we do not lose heart. Though our outer man is wasting away, our inner man is being renewed every day” (2 Cor. 4:16). Easter is the day of our rebirth and rejuvenation. Throughout these fifty days of Resurrection joy, may you run to and from the Eucharistic celebration with a renewed spirit.
Next Sunday, April 7 is Divine Mercy Sunday. I invite you to a special Eucharistic holy hour at 3:00pm, the hour of Mercy, in the church. We will pray a trilingual Divine Mercy chaplet, venerate a first-class relic of St. Faustina, and receive a reflection on the Divine Mercy message from Fr. Pat. I want to especially encourage anyone who has been away from the sacrament of confession for a while to return to the sacrament this week. In Jesus’ message to St. Faustina, he regards this week as uniquely powerful for the outpouring of mercy for those who seek forgiveness in the sacrament of confession.
In the Resurrected Christ,
Fr. Dave
