We may be moving through life, yet inwardly unable to rise. The only way to be freed from this condition is through living faith—faith rooted in our baptism, where we were born of water and the Spirit. In baptism, Christ cleanses us, raises us, and calls us into a new way of life.
The empty tomb confronts the Myrrhbearing Women with a call to trust: trust that Jesus—whom they followed, who spoke of God as Father, who obeyed even unto death—has been vindicated by God. His resurrection overturns the judgment of the world and reveals Him as God’s Anointed.
Our loved ones who have fallen asleep are themselves witnesses to Christ’s life, death, and resurrection. Their genuine acts of love and compassion were the works of God shining through them. For when Christians allow God’s love to take hold of them, they are transformed—made capable of a selfless love that is divine in origin. Christian life is a life turned outward, a new way of being with others. This is the life Christ promises.
Come, all you faithful, let us venerate Christ’s holy Resurrection. For, behold, through the Cross joy has come into all the world. Hymn from the…
…Christ’s death is not only a revelation; it is an invitation. He shows us the path, but He does not walk it for us. He opens the way, but He does not force us onto it. He gives His “Yes” to the Father’s will, but He waits for ours.
Letter from His Eminence, Archbishop Michael of New York and the Diocese of New York and New Jersey