Dear Parishioners,
I hope and pray that the risen Christ, gives us new life, so that we may renew our practice of the Christian life with his resurrection from the dead. I call this being an Easter People. The previous weeks leading to Easter have been very intense, with the practice of the Lenten observances - fasting, prayer and almsgiving. We have watched many Christians engaged in the recitation of the Stations of the Cross and the struggle to begin prayers at the families, the domestic Churches for those who were not yet praying at home. It is worth mentioning that during this Easter season, the Angelus prayer, traditionally prayed at Morning, Midday and Evening shall be replaced by ‘Regina Caeli’ in its Latin appellation, meaning ‘Queen of heaven rejoice’.
Beginning from this Easter season we are to pray the Rosary before Holy mass on Sundays and Solemnities, each of us must endeavor to be present in Church, at least 30 minutes before the beginning of Holy Mass. Most people seem to come in just at the neck of time, when Mass is about to begin. To come in and say the Rosary as a believing community is a wonderful way of calming down and preparing oneself to begin the celebration of the Eucharistic mysteries – the source and summit of our Christian life. We do not need to rush into mass. When we rush, we do not enter wholeheartedly into the celebration of this mystery, which is thanksgiving and praise to the Father, memorial of Christ’s Passover and his presence through the power of his word and the Holy Spirit. We should endeavor to come in early to relax and enter gradually into the mystery we join the priest to celebrate and offer Jesus, Priest and Victim, again as an expiation for our sins to the Father. This makes us truly an Easter people. That is, a people who live by the recognition of Christ’s suffering, death and resurrection, which is re-enacted at every celebration of the Eucharistic Sacrifice and Banquet.
It is my hope and prayer that this Easter season will bring you and your families’ peace, joy and new life. Happy Easter to everyone.