Rejoice in the Lord Always!

Dear Sisters and Brothers –

A happy and blessed Easter to each of you and your families. On behalf of our entire faith community, I extend a warm welcome to those of you who are joining us this Easter. We are happy you are with us to celebrate this glorious weekend in the life of the Church.

On this original feast of the Christian community, we celebrate Jesus Christ’s victory over death. While it is a celebration of a historical event, it is also a celebration of what we hold in faith— that, as God raised Jesus from the dead, so too, will God bring light and life out of the darkness and death in our world and in our personal lives.

While the world around us can seem dark, there is light all around us at St. Ignatius Parish—the generosity of our parishioners every month on Simple Needs Sunday, the excitement for the new programs emerging in our new youth ministry program (especially girls CYO basketball!), the new faces at and the vibrancy of our Sunday Masses, and the generosity of parishioners accompanying our immigrant families who are in the process of seeking asylum in the US, to name a few of our ministries. As we experience at the Easter Vigil with the Paschal Candle shining in the darkness of our church, even the smallest light dispels darkness.

I wish to share a prayer-poem that is a favorite, entitled Easter Sunday.

  Wheat grains crushed
  provide our food.
  Grape-full bunches pressed
  become our table drink.
  Because they do not cling
  to what they were,
  a wonderful new happening—
  our paschal meal.

  We who are hungry—fed.
  We who are thirsty—satisfied.
  We who are empty—filled.
  We who are dead—alive again!
  Proudly rising—
  new life from old ashes.
  Death never again the end—
  only a stop on the journey.

  But new things also die
  to come again in unimagined ways.
  Bread broken becomes a meal—
  signs us a community.
  Wine passed around and shared
  becomes our cup of blessing.

  And when we eat
  and when we drink,
  we remember.
  Our eyes are opened a little more
  and we know—
  this is the bread of life,
 this is the cup of salvation.

  So we eat, we drink, we die, 
  but most importantly, we rise.
  Alleluia! Come Lord Jesus!
  again, and again, and again.

On behalf of Fr. Paul, Fr. John, and the entire St. Ignatius staff, I wish each and every one of you a very Happy Easter! “Rejoice in the Lord always. I say it again, rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4)

Oremus pro invicem,