The celebration of Easter is for all Christians the highpoint of our year of faith. At Easter we celebrate the fact that Christ has risen from the dead and destroyed death for all who place their hope in Him. Easter means that, because of Christ’s resurrection, we shall not die but rather we are all invited to spend eternity with our loving God in heaven. At Easter we think of our loved ones who have died and we rejoice that they have been spared death because of Christ’s resurrection and are with Him in heaven for all eternity. Ultimately, at Easter we celebrate that God loves us so much that He destroyed death so that He might spend eternity with each of us. Easter is the greatest celebration of God’s unconditional and undying love for each of us; a love so strong that death cannot destroy it.

The Good News about Christ’s resurrection and His destruction of death is so overwhelmingly joyful that it can sometimes overshadow another aspect of Christ’s victory. Christ’s resurrection from the dead is so powerful that not only does it destroy death, it also destroys all other barriers which stand in the way of our encountering Him—even the barriers of time and space. Christ’s resurrection does not just announce God’s desire to be with us in heaven; it also proclaims His passion to love and live with us today. God the Father raised Jesus from the dead not so that He could live with His disciples and apostles once they got to heaven. The Father rose Jesus up in order that all people of all times and places could live in communion with Himself and the other persons of the Holy Trinity at every moment in time and history. Easter celebrates the fact that God will not let anything stand in the way of His love for us. At Easter we celebrate that God’s love is so strong for us that He cannot wait to be with us in heaven. God loves us so much that He desires to be with us “today.” All that is required for this to happen is that we open our hearts to His presence. Continue reading →

“Father, Forgive them, for they do not know what they do” (Luke 23:34).

At that moment in history when humanity had committed its greatest offense against God—when Jesus had been handed over to death by His friend Judas, betrayed by Peter, hung upon a cross to be executed, and people sneered and jeered at Him as He suffered to save the world—Jesus’ response is profound passion for His people:

“Father, Forgive them, for they do not know what they do” (Luke 23:34).

As Pope Francis has said when he proclaimed this year as the Year of Mercy, “Jesus Christ is the face of the Father’s mercy.” This week, Holy Week, as we celebrate the great mysteries of our salvation, we participate in the great events of God’s mercy. These events are all recounted in this Sunday’s reading of the Passion narrative from the Gospel of Luke. As we celebrate this Sunday Passion or Palm Sunday, we hear how soon after Jesus was gloriously welcomed into Jerusalem as that city’s Savior, He celebrated the Jewish Passover with His disciples and was then betrayed and put to death. Continue reading →