Our united parish is blessed to have many patron saints praying for us as we work together to live out the Gospel message. Each of these individuals has guided a segment of our parish community for many years, and now that we are united together as one parish, there is so much we all can learn about these powerful witnesses to the faith. Their example helps bring us closer to Jesus as his disciples on Earth.
The Resurrection of our Lord
The Resurrection is the foundation of our Catholic faith and ultimately the source of our salvation. Jesus died on the cross for our sins, and though we commemorate the solemn nature of his death, we celebrate the fact that he rose from the dead as he promised. We remember each Sunday when we gather as a family of faith for Mass that we are an Easter people. The Resurrection gives us the confidence to live our lives through the lens of the Gospel with the hope of joining Jesus in the kingdom of heaven at the end of our earthly pilgrimage.
We also remember the witnesses of the Resurrection, those who stayed faithful and believed in what Jesus taught during his time on Earth. Our Blessed Mother, Mary Magdalene, and the apostle John, whom Jesus loved, were with him at his death, and Mary Magdalene was there when she saw that the stone that covered the tomb had been rolled away. Though it took some convincing and even several post-Resurrection appearances by Jesus to convince his apostles and disciples that truly he had risen as he promised, this event laid the foundation of the faith we practice and celebrate today.
The Resurrection was followed by a series of events that laid the foundation of the early church and saw the Apostles taking on additional leadership. After the Ascension, when Jesus returned to his father, there were still doubts among the Apostles that they could carry on and continue building the church. Jesus’ reminder that he is with us always and the subsequent descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles at Pentecost gave them the reassurance they needed to continue spreading the Gospel to everyone they encountered. Like the Apostles, we continue that work today through our words and actions, and we hope to join our Risen Lord in his kingdom one day and walk in the company of all the saints. It is great to have a parish patron to provide a visible reminder of this goal.
The Catholic Church celebrates the Resurrection of our Lord every time we gather for Mass, but in a special way on Easter Sunday and throughout the Easter season.
An Easter Prayer
O God, who on this day,
through your Only Begotten Son, have conquered death
and unlocked for us the path to eternity,
grant, we pray, that we who keep the solemnity of the Lord’s Resurrection
may, through the renewal brought by your Spirit, rise up in the light of life.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Risen Lord, hear our prayers!