Beloved In Christ,
"This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad" (Ps. 118: 24).
We rejoice and are filled with gladness today because our Lord Jesus, who suffered, died, and was buried, is now risen and alive! Alleluia!! The good news of Jesus's resurrection from the dead fills our hearts with joy, and hope is restored because Jesus has conquered sin and death. There are at least two reasons why we should rejoice and celebrate Jesus's resurrection.
Firstly, if it helps, we may ask ourselves again, what is the cause of our joy at the yearly celebration of Easter? The answer is that we see the possibility of what happened to Jesus happening to us. As Jesus was raised bodily from the tomb, so shall we be raised into glory on the second coming of Jesus. The glorified body of Jesus indicates what will happen to us who believe in him. So, we know for sure that the resurrection of Christ has implications for our life after death. As believers, we shall be raised bodily to be with Christ forever. This calls for joyful celebration and the raising of Alleluia to God.
Secondly, Jesus's resurrection demands living faith from us. We must be caught up in heavenly things even as our feet are rooted on earth. We must strive to live in the power of the resurrection. As we renew our baptismal vows, the Spirit of Christ renews us. We are stirred up to new life in the Spirit of the Risen Christ and empowered to leave the past life behind and start a new one. Since Christ has offered his life for us in his death and resurrection, "let us celebrate the feast, not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and wickedness" as St. Paul encourages us, "but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth" (1 Cor 5: 7-8).
Pope St. John Paul II reminded us years ago of our identity as Easter people when he said, "We are an Easter people, and Alleluia is our song." In the spirit of joy and gladness, let us sing and echo Alleluia with our voices and bodies throughout this season of Easter and beyond. Sing Alleluia to the Lord!
Happy Easter!
Fr. Alayode Bernard, OP
"This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad" (Ps. 118: 24).
We rejoice and are filled with gladness today because our Lord Jesus, who suffered, died, and was buried, is now risen and alive! Alleluia!! The good news of Jesus's resurrection from the dead fills our hearts with joy, and hope is restored because Jesus has conquered sin and death. There are at least two reasons why we should rejoice and celebrate Jesus's resurrection.
Firstly, if it helps, we may ask ourselves again, what is the cause of our joy at the yearly celebration of Easter? The answer is that we see the possibility of what happened to Jesus happening to us. As Jesus was raised bodily from the tomb, so shall we be raised into glory on the second coming of Jesus. The glorified body of Jesus indicates what will happen to us who believe in him. So, we know for sure that the resurrection of Christ has implications for our life after death. As believers, we shall be raised bodily to be with Christ forever. This calls for joyful celebration and the raising of Alleluia to God.
Secondly, Jesus's resurrection demands living faith from us. We must be caught up in heavenly things even as our feet are rooted on earth. We must strive to live in the power of the resurrection. As we renew our baptismal vows, the Spirit of Christ renews us. We are stirred up to new life in the Spirit of the Risen Christ and empowered to leave the past life behind and start a new one. Since Christ has offered his life for us in his death and resurrection, "let us celebrate the feast, not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and wickedness" as St. Paul encourages us, "but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth" (1 Cor 5: 7-8).
Pope St. John Paul II reminded us years ago of our identity as Easter people when he said, "We are an Easter people, and Alleluia is our song." In the spirit of joy and gladness, let us sing and echo Alleluia with our voices and bodies throughout this season of Easter and beyond. Sing Alleluia to the Lord!
Happy Easter!
Fr. Alayode Bernard, OP
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