Christ is risen! Christ is truly risen! This Sunday is the final day of the Easter octave, the eightday period that extends the celebration of the Resurrection of Christ. Of course the 50-day Easter season, which ends on Pentecost on May 19, extends it even further. The beautiful
truth of the Resurrection resounds on each of these eight and 50 days: whatever we’re going through, there is a light at the end of the tunnel – because Christ is truly risen.
Did you know Msgr. Michael Doyle, who served as pastor for decades of Sacred Heart Church in Camden? He titled a collection of poetry It’s a Terrible Day – Thanks be to God. Such a whimsical expression is founded on the truth of Jesus’ Resurrection. Imagine receiving terrible news and sincerely concluding your reflections of grief and mourning with the exclamation, “Christ is risen!”
Christians simultaneously acknowledge the tragic evil that darkens our world and Christ’s glorious triumph that brightens our path through the world to follow him who has blazed the path before us.
Please keep your eyes fixed on Christ so you can see the path ahead. As your duties allow, please take advantage of the faith-growing opportunities in our parish. To join a home-based faith-sharing group, please speak with Veronica to find a good fit (vspilker@ctkhaddonfield.org). To serve the community alongside fellow parishioners, please share your relevant interests and talents with Cheryl (cjudge@ctkhaddonfield.org).
If you didn’t have an opportunity to go to confession during Lent – if perhaps you’ve haven’t been to confession in years – please make an appointment with me on the Staff page of our parish website. Likewise, reach out to me if you have someone at home who is no longer able to attend Mass. I will bring Communion and anoint them. With far fewer priests these days, it is important to seek out the anointing of the sick now. There is a good possibility a priest will not be available on short notice for the “last rites.”
On this final day of the Easter octave, I wish you again a happy Easter and Godspeed!