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March 31, 2021
Praised be Jesus Christ! “Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good…” (Psam 118:1). We come to the end of the long penitential season – Lent; the Sacred Triduum of Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday; and then we keep the Easter Vigil, commemorating that HOLY NIGHT - “mother of all holy vigils” when the Lord Jesus rose from the dead.
This year’s Easter Celebration is indeed unique, it is as if we are resurrecting from death, grief, and fear due to the pandemic. And I believe we are! We rejoice in the fact that some of us can come together again at Mass beinning April 11(Divine Mercy Sunday), and we pray for those who may not be able to attend Mass or find it online or on the radio; especially for our brothers and sisters in countries that still have total lockdown affecting places of worship.
As for us here in the diocese of Springfield in Illinois, “we are given additional opportunities to go to Mass, receive holy Communion, have our sins absolved in sacramental confession, and pray …We must work diligently to invite people back to church, communicating to them why it is so important to be physically present celebrating with the community of faith and receiving the incomparable gift of the Real Presence of Our Lord into our hearts in the Eucharist." - Bishop Thomas John Paprocki
The Easter vigil narrate to us the salvation history, and as from the Book of Exodus (14:15-15:1) when God intervened with the very first Passover, shepherding the chosen people from slavery in Egypt and bringing them safely to the promised land, the land of freedom, He does it still in our time shepherding us from death unto life (Jesus Passover from death to life).
The Resurrection of Jesus Christ remains a history-altering event as Jesus rose from the tomb after the horrific death that He so humbly succumbed to. There is no longer the sleep of death began for us in his flesh. Being thus risen, death will no more have dominion: Death is left behind. In the words of Easter sequence “Victimae paschali laudes" (the Paschal Victim) for the Easter Mass: “The Prince of life, who died, reigns immortal. Yes, Christ my hope is arisen…” We cannot but exclaim with Saint Augustine: “We are an Easter people; and Alleluia is our song!”
In a special way, we rejoice and thank the Lord who broke the chains of death by rising triumphantly from the grave. The Church is here strengthened and renewed more than before. The Lord God who once saved a single nation from Egyptian slavery, he now offers and renews that salvation to all of us through baptism and renewal of Baptismal promises.
At St. Elizabeth, we welcome our three catechumens who are now part of salvation history after having completed the sacraments of Christian initiation journey and have been shepherded to new life in Christ. May the Easter light of Christ shine upon them always.
The Lord is Risen Allelua, Allulia! This Is the Day the Lord Has Made; Let Us Rejoice and Be Glad. Let us rejoice always and celebrate the victory of life over death, of light over darkness, of the divine loving plan over human folly. We are renewed from within, and let us shine it fourth as community renewed in faith.
Together with Christ’s Mission
Fr. Alfred Tumwesigye
Happy Easter! Jesus is risen – Alleluia!
My note is very brief this week – just a heartfelt WELCOME into God’s family, the Church, at St. Elizabeth to our Elect & Candidate who have been Baptized, entered the Church, Confirmed, and received their First Holy Communion at the Easter Vigil: Lauren Nash (and Colby, Harrison, Lauren, & Theodore also baptized), Gerald Broadwater, and Daniel Kraus.
Thank you to Cheryl Mangi for your service and co-leadership in our RCIA team, and to Deacon Neil for our partnership as a unified RCIA program across St. Elizabeth, Holy Family, & St. Mary St. Mary parishes.
Deacon Candidate Michael Halbrook