St. Benedict Catholic Church

Alleluia, He has risen! He has risen indeed, Alleluia! This is the traditional Easter greeting that recounts the great joy of the resurrection of Jesus Christ on Easter Sunday.

At Easter, we celebrate and confess our faith that Jesus is truly risen from the dead! We also proclaim the extraordinarily good news that Jesus also invites us to rise with Him! He shares with us His triumph over the cross! And so we joyfully acclaim that we are partakers in the Resurrection of Jesus at Easter Mass as we sing: “By dying, He destroyed our death! By rising, He restores our life!”


With the death of a loved one or a friend, we often recall that we do share in the victory of the Risen Christ. It is at these times that we immediately trust that, by the mercy of Jesus, we are united with Him forever in heaven. But immortality, eternal life, is but the ultimate way we share in our Lord’s triumph of Easter.


A second way is so beautifully evident in our lives too. In and through Jesus, we, too, have the power to die to our sins, worries, anxieties, failures, and suffering. With Christ, we rise to a new life of virtue, peace, fidelity, and truly find meaning in our lives. The cross is still there but with Christ, we can conquer it, and it has meaning.


Simply ask the cancer survivor, the recovering alcoholic or addict, or even the married couple struggling to persevere and get through their tribulations: the power of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ lives on in our lives!


At Easter, we rise to a new life of grace and mercy as we are renewed in the Risen Lord! This renewal never stops! Jesus is always renewing His Church. We are part of that renewal as we immerse ourselves into the glory of Easter. The gloom, death, and darkness of Good Friday do not have the final word! Rejoice, the Risen Christ radiates light, life, and love all over!


On behalf of Deacon Danny, Deacon Ellis, retired Deacon Nelvin, and myself, I wish you a Blessed Easter! You are in our prayers and are remembered at Easter Masses. 

Alleluia, He has risen! He has risen indeed, Alleluia! 

Happy Easter!

Father Charles, O.S.B.