Happy
Easter!
A
special welcome to the new members of our St. Dominic Community received into
the Church at the Easter Vigil last evening. Welcome to you all!
Philip
Tsang, Amanda Texiera, Ravi Shemar and Leo Silva
Many
thanks to Barbara-Anne Krampart, and Silvio Fernandes for their dedication and
spiritual guidance in leading these new parishioners into the Faith in the RCIA
program.
The
Resurrection of Christ is the cornerstone of our Christian faith. St Paul tells
us in his letter to the Corinthians, (15:14), that if Christ has not been raised
from the dead, our faith will be empty and useless. But the Resurrection of
Christ is not merely something "out there," not merely an historical
fact at which we gaze admiringly. It is a present reality in which, through
Baptism, we are intimately involved. "If we have been united with him
through likeness to his death, so shall we be through a like resurrection"
(Romans 6:5).
Our
sharing in the crucifixion-Resurrection of Jesus brings about a mysterious
change in our very being. Paul expresses it in a startling way: "I have
been crucified with Christ, and the life I live now is not my own; Christ is
living in me" (Galatians 2:20). The English poet Andrew Young, in his poem
"Nicodemus," arrives at the same conclusion: Why do I kneel before your empty tomb? You
are not here, for you are everywhere; the grass, the trees, the air, the wind,
the sky, Nothing can now refuse to be your home; nor I Lord. Live in me and I
shall live.
This
intimate union between Christ and ourselves calls for a new way of life. We
must change our behaviour. Saint Paul writes that we should put to death
whatever in our nature is rooted in earth, (see Colossians 3:5), precisely
BECAUSE we share the new life of Christ. Corruption and wickedness must yield
to sincerity and truth. He invites us to
put teeth into today's annual renewal of baptismal promises. Recalling our
baptismal promises seriously, will challenge each of us in different ways. The
goal is "Easter Living" all year long.
I
sincerely hope that our Holy Week celebrations were meaningful for you. There
are so many people to thank and I will do that in the bulletin next week. Easter Is THE GIFT... Easter is the gift of
HOPE …Easter is the gift of PEACE… Easter is the gift of LOVE. Let us rejoice
in Him, who gives all these gifts to us. May God bless you at Easter, and keep
you all year through. May God give you all the faith it takes to make your
dreams come true. May His love and wisdom always help to guide you on your way. May His light shine down upon you now to
bless your Easter Day.
Fr. Phil
