Happy Easter! 2016.

Alleluia! Happy Easter! What a joy to celebrate the risen Christ!  As we prepare to search for Easter eggs and spend time with family, let us take a moment to reflect on the joy of Easter and the invitation that it extends.

The joy of Easter is life; life in Christ Jesus. Three days prior, it seemed as though death was the victor. But that, my friends, is far from the truth. This truth this Easter, and always, is that Jesus Christ conquered death. He is the victor. He destroyed death so that we might have life. Life with Christ is a priceless gift that nothing in the world can compare to.   

The Gospel of John tells the story of the Resurrection of Jesus in this way: Mary of Magdala arrives at the tomb of Jesus and finds the tomb empty. She weeps out of sheer fear and confusion. She knows not what has happened to the body of her Lord. John continues, “She turned around and saw Jesus there, but did not know it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?’” [John 20:14-15] We have the upper hand; we know the answers to these questions. We know what happens. We know that Christ has risen from the dead. Alleluia! But these questions, they still burn within our own hearts.

The question, “Whom are you looking for?” touches us to the core. We are always searching. Be it searching for Easter eggs, searching for joy, searching for truth, searching for a place where we belong. We are searchers; just like Mary of Magdala. Pope St. John Paul II gives us insight to our seeking, “It is Jesus that you seek when you dream of happiness”. Mary of Magdala was looking for someone. That someone was Jesus. We are searching just as earnestly. Might we too be searching for Jesus? Maybe without even knowing it?

Whether you found yourself here this Easter by choice or by chance, welcome! Your search may have come to fruition. Maybe you have found whom you have been looking for. It’s possible you have encountered the risen Christ on this glorious Easter. Praise God! Please consider staying awhile. Hopefully, you find your home sweet home within Christ Jesus. Please, come in. Welcome home!