{"id":21373,"date":"2026-04-02T13:06:01","date_gmt":"2026-04-02T17:06:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stpeterstoronto.ca\/main\/?p=21373"},"modified":"2026-04-03T09:36:57","modified_gmt":"2026-04-03T13:36:57","slug":"easter-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stpeterstoronto.ca\/main\/2026\/04\/02\/easter-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Easter 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cDo not be afraid! I know that you are seeking Jesus the crucified. He is not here, for He has risen just as He said\u201d (Matthew 28:5)<\/em><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"\"In uncertain times, fear is something with which we are all familiar. After the death of Jesus, His disciples ran away fearful of what the future might mean without Him. As we see war raging in many parts of the world, and hear of political leaders uttering threats to once friendly countries around the world, and economic uncertainty looms on the horizon, fear threatens to over-take all of our lives.<\/p>\n

The most concrete fear that we hear of in the Easter story is connected to the way in which the disciples of Christ ran away at his arrest and crucifixion. The scriptures tell us that only John and Mary remained at the cross. Peter and the others ran away, denied Him, and hid themselves away for fear of arrest.<\/p>\n

It is only after the disciples hear the announcement that Jesus has risen from the dead that their behavior begins to change. Throughout the Easter season, for the forty days leading up to His Ascension into Heaven, Jesus will appear to His disciples and show them that He has indeed risen in His body. Bolstered by His appearance in a resurrected body, they will slowly be able to understand the words of the angel they encountered at the empty tomb: \u201cDo not be afraid! I know that you are seeking Jesus the crucified. He is not here, for He has risen Just as He said\u201d (Matthew 28:5). As the fear of the first disciples is transformed into the hope of the resurrection, they are led out of the rooms in which they had hidden themselves and led to the mountain top in Galilee where Jesus will give them the great commission to be his witnesses to the ends of the earth.<\/p>\n

This great commission that Jesus gives to His first disciples is the same which is given to you and I as members of His Church today. In the Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 28, versus 16-20, we read:<\/p>\n

Then Jesus came to them and said, \u2018All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely, I am with you always, to the end of the ages (Matthew 28: 18\u201420).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

With these words, the fear of Jesus\u2019 early disciples is transformed into a confidence of His presence in their lives and they are filled with a desire to preach His word in the midst of their fear knowing He will be with them until the end of time. The words which were spoken to the early disciples are words that are also spoken to us at the Easter liturgies so that we too entrust our fears to the Risen Christ and can be set free by our confidence that He is with us until the end of time.<\/p>\n

On October 16, 1978, when he was elected Pope, the great St. John Paul II, began his papal ministry by repeating these words of the angel to the world in the midst of the cold war. He began his address to the world by saying: \u201cDo not be afraid.\u201d<\/em> He spoke these words with courage and authenticity because for many years as a bishop in Poland, who often faced arrest, he was confident that Christ was with him. So confident was he in the power of Christ, that many have credited him with the downfall of communism in Poland and the former Soviet Union. Our present world might be in need of such fearless witnesses to continue to bring Christ\u2019s love to situations that are more and more dire.<\/p>\n

As we celebrate the Easter liturgies, the call for all of us to become peaceful witnesses is very much a vivid part of the celebrations. The Easter Vigil begins with the blessings of the fire and the Paschal Candle. This candle represents the light of Christ who is to shine in the darkness of the world. Each one attending the vigil is given a candle symbolic of their baptismal faith and the call to both follow Christ\u2019s light and to bring this light to shine in the world today. The beautifully lit Church symbolizes our common mission as members of the Church to bring Christ to the world and for the Church to speak boldly of Christ\u2019s love to the world today. The courage that we need to follow Christ is to be found in the lengthy liturgy of God\u2019s word that is proclaimed at the Easter Vigil. Recounting God\u2019s plan of salvation from creation to the resurrection of Christ, the proclamation of God\u2019s word demonstrates that our hope and salvation can only be found in Christ\u2019s saving mission. All other earthly powers will fail and pass. Only Christ and His resurrection can deliver us from all evil and share with us life eternal. As we celebrate the Sacraments of Initiation and the Eucharist, we encounter the Risen Christ in our midst today and see fulfilled His promise to be with us until the end of the ages. The sending at the end of the Easter Vigil, and every Mass, is the same mission that was given to the early disciples. We are to go out into the world making disciples of all nations by preaching the Good News that Christ has entrusted to us. As we have come to know of Christ\u2019s peace through confidence in His resurrection, we are to witness to this and invite others to find their peace in Christ as well.<\/p>\n

In the face of Jesus\u2019 arrest and the persecution of the early Church, the first Christians often faced fear and uncertainty. It was by celebrating the Eucharist in the Sunday community that they were strengthened by His message and found the hope to be His witnesses in a world that was desperate for hope. Again, the world is in a similar situation and the desire for Christ\u2019s peace is enormous. Today, you and I are the witness who are called to bring that hope into the world. In order to faithfully live our baptismal faith, we must all become more aware of the need to attend the weekly celebration of the resurrection at the Eucharist each and every Sunday. The word\u2019s that Jesus spoke to his first disciples after His resurrection, are the same as He speaks to us as we celebrate Easter in 2026:<\/p>\n

All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely, I am with you always, to the end of the ages (Matthew 28: 18\u201420).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

For the baptized, Easter is an invitation to be renewed in our faith that the Risen Christ will be with us to the end of the ages and a call to be witnesses to this reality in a world facing fear and uncertainty. Having renewed our baptismal promises at Easter, we are to be sent to be agents of peace, who speak of God\u2019s love for every human being, and to be prophetic voices who speak against the violence, discrimination and acts of force that disturb the peace of so many in the world today.<\/p>\n

One of the ways that our parish community has been suggesting that each one of us can be such witnesses of Christ in our day to day lives is to welcome Christ in our neighbour by attempting to incorporate the corporal works of mercy into our day to day lives. I am grateful to the parish council for having made a series of videos each Sunday this Lent to give us all an idea how we might attempt to do this.<\/p>\n

The candles that we all hold while renewing our faith at the Easter Vigil provide a powerful reminder to how the Christian is called to face the darkness and fear in the world. We are to embrace the light of the Risen Christ and say a profound \u201cno\u201d to the darkness, confident that Christ will remain faithful to His promise to be with us to the end of the ages.<\/p>\n

I pray that you and your family will have a blessed and happy Easter. Please pray for me.<\/p>\n

Yours in Christ,<\/p>\n

Rev. Michael McGourty
\nPastor, St. Peter\u2019s Parish \u2013 Toronto.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cDo not be afraid! I know that you are seeking Jesus the crucified. He is not here, for He has risen just as He said\u201d (Matthew 28:5) In uncertain times, fear is something with which we are all familiar. After … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":21403,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpscppro_dont_share_socialmedia":null,"_wpscppro_custom_social_share_image":0,"_facebook_share_type":"default","_twitter_share_type":"default","_linkedin_share_type":"default","_pinterest_share_type":"default","_linkedin_share_type_page":"","_instagram_share_type":"default","_medium_share_type":"default","_threads_share_type":"default","_google_business_share_type":"default","_selected_social_profile":[],"_wpsp_enable_custom_social_template":false,"_wpsp_social_scheduling":{"enabled":false,"datetime":null,"platforms":[],"status":"template_only","dateOption":"today","timeOption":"now","customDays":"","customHours":"","customDate":"","customTime":"","schedulingType":"absolute"},"_wpsp_active_default_template":true},"categories":[16,40],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21373","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sunday_homilies","category-featured"],"yoast_head":"\nEaster 2026 - St. Peter's Church<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/stpeterstoronto.ca\/main\/2026\/04\/02\/easter-2026\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Easter 2026 - St. Peter's Church\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"\u201cDo not be afraid! 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No not just for some, but for everyone.\u201d\u00a0\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "A Message from the Pastor"","block_context":{"text":"A Message from the Pastor","link":"https:\/\/stpeterstoronto.ca\/main\/category\/sunday_homilies\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Decorative Image","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/stpeterstoronto.ca\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/love.png?fit=800%2C533&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/stpeterstoronto.ca\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/love.png?fit=800%2C533&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/stpeterstoronto.ca\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/love.png?fit=800%2C533&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/stpeterstoronto.ca\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/love.png?fit=800%2C533&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":7838,"url":"https:\/\/stpeterstoronto.ca\/main\/2023\/04\/28\/good-shepherd-sunday-the-world-day-of-prayer-for-vocations\/","url_meta":{"origin":21373,"position":2},"title":"Good Shepherd Sunday: The World Day of Prayer for Vocations","author":"stpeters","date":"April 28, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"The most famous Psalm in the Bible is that which we hear proclaimed this Sunday - the 23rd Psalm.\u00a0 Almost every Christian knows it. Those powerful words\u2014\"The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want\u2026Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil; for you are with\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "A Message from the Pastor"","block_context":{"text":"A Message from the Pastor","link":"https:\/\/stpeterstoronto.ca\/main\/category\/sunday_homilies\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Decorative Image","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/stpeterstoronto.ca\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/vocation-psalm-bible.png?fit=654%2C449&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/stpeterstoronto.ca\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/vocation-psalm-bible.png?fit=654%2C449&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/stpeterstoronto.ca\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/vocation-psalm-bible.png?fit=654%2C449&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5991,"url":"https:\/\/stpeterstoronto.ca\/main\/2021\/04\/01\/the-trumpet-will-sound-and-the-dead-will-be-raised-incorruptible-and-we-shall-be-changed-1-corinthians-15-52\/","url_meta":{"origin":21373,"position":3},"title":"\u201cThe trumpet will sound and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed\u201d (1 Corinthians 15: 52)","author":"stpeters","date":"April 1, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Life can change in an instant. As I read the Gospel of John for the Mass on Easter Sunday morning, I could not think that Mary Magdalene must have been amazed at how quickly things had changed in her life. Just one week earlier, she had been part of the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "A Message from the Pastor"","block_context":{"text":"A Message from the Pastor","link":"https:\/\/stpeterstoronto.ca\/main\/category\/sunday_homilies\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Decorative Image","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/stpeterstoronto.ca\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/a-lot-can-change-easter.jpg?fit=960%2C246&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/stpeterstoronto.ca\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/a-lot-can-change-easter.jpg?fit=960%2C246&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/stpeterstoronto.ca\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/a-lot-can-change-easter.jpg?fit=960%2C246&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/stpeterstoronto.ca\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/a-lot-can-change-easter.jpg?fit=960%2C246&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6778,"url":"https:\/\/stpeterstoronto.ca\/main\/2022\/04\/16\/a-new-heaven-and-a-new-earth-rev-211-easter-2022\/","url_meta":{"origin":21373,"position":4},"title":"\u201cA New Heaven and a New Earth\u201d (Rev. 21:1) – Easter 2022","author":"stpeters","date":"April 16, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"It has been more than two years since the pandemic began. Since the start of it, many people have been hoping and praying for a \u201cnew heaven and a new earth,\u201d free from this illness. 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