April 1, 2018 — Easter Sunday/The Resurrection of the Lord (the Mass of Easter Day)
ACTS 10: 34A, 37-43; PS 118: 1-2, 16-17, 22-23; COL 3: 1-4, JN 20: 1-9
One of the recommended Responsorial Psalms on this glorious Easter Sunday is Psalm 118, including this from verse 24: “This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad.” In truth Easter is all about rejoicing. It is the day of Resurrection which provides hope to all of us.
Throughout our diocese thousands of people are at Mass today who may not normally attend. Recent studies have shown that as many as 40 percent of those who do not regularly attend may not have been at Mass since Christmas.
That is another reason for us to rejoice and say “Welcome home.” We miss you and we love you. Christ’s love for us is at the foundation of our celebration today. St. Augustine once wrote, “God loves each of us as if there were only one of us.” We ask God’s blessings on all those who have passed our amazing religion to you. Clearly you do remember your devotion and are here to honor it.
Our Catholic Church considers today to be the holiest day of the year. For us as Catholics this celebrates one of the greatest days in history — when Jesus, the Son of God, defeated death and rose from the grave giving us all hope for eternal life. St. Pope John Paul II may have put it best several years ago when he proclaimed, “Do not abandon yourselves to despair. We are the Easter people and hallelujah is our song.”
