Happy Easter from Fr. Jeff Kegley

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Jesus is Lord!

Welcome to all our parishioners, extended families, and guests to our wonderful parish of Saint Mary, Mother of God Church, as we celebrate the Resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Your presence at St. Mary’s today adds to the joy of our celebration!

In the early days of Christianity, the great St. Augustine proclaimed: “We are resurrection people and alleluia is our song!” Yes, the resurrection of Jesus Christ is the centerpiece of our Catholic faith. The only response that makes sense is the one the church will sing for fifty days, from Easter Sunday to Pentecost Sunday, “Alleluia! Praise to the Lord Jesus Christ!”

Easter celebrates such wonderful, good news that Christian people never found just one day long enough to celebrate its importance in their lives. The fifty days of the Easter season offer much food for our journey of faith. God’s holy word is rich, as is God’s table. It is good for us to listen closely to the Easter story and to take and eat the bread of angels given for the life of the world.

The good news of Easter is that Jesus Christ not only was gloriously alive that first Easter Sunday morning, but He is also still gloriously alive among us today! The crucifixion and burial were real, but they were not the end. As we will be reminded daily throughout the Easter season in our readings from the Acts of the Apostles, the friends of Jesus who met the Risen Lord were obviously changed in a dramatic fashion. They were relentless in their pursuit of continuing the mission of Jesus Christ.

There are two fundamental ways in which we are called upon to identify with the Lord’s Life, Death and Resurrection. First through a personal experience and encounter with Jesus Christ - moving one from darkness to light, from sin to virtue, from superficiality to self-awareness, from apathy and indifference to commitment and service. Secondly, though a communal experience, in our families and communities, of movement from suspicion to respect and from a focus on self to an experience of solidarity with all our brothers and sisters.

This is what the first witnesses to the Resurrection of Jesus Christ experienced. It is my prayer that you, your family, and our entire parish community - will experience a deep(er) personal and communal encounter with the Risen Lord this Easter season.

On behalf of Father Jordan, Father Rick, our Deacons and staff - Happy Easter! ALLELUIA!

In Jesus and Mary,
Father Jeff Kegley, Pastor