Homily of Easter Vigil -Welcoming Our New Brothers and Sisters in the Risen Lord This evening we are immersed in a variety of rich symbols of our faith: fire, the Paschal Candle, Holy Scripture, water, oil, Holy Chrism, bread and wine. All these signs and symbols beg us to acknowledge the Risen Christ in our midst. This evening, you, our Catechumens, the Elect, who have been preparing to be initiated into the Church, the Church that Jesus established over two thousand years ago, the Catholic Church, we welcome and thank God for you.

Are you rested from the Easter Triduum celebration? It was certainly an amazing celebration with many volunteers putting their time, talents, and treasure for the glory of God. For few days we experienced what the first Christian communities experienced when “They devoted themselves to the teaching of the apostles and to the communal life, to the breaking of bread and to the prayers.” (Acts 2:42).

The Lord is Risen! Hallelujah!

As we continue to journey through the Easter season, let us embrace the spirit of renewal, seeking spiritual growth and deepening our relationship with God. May the Resurrected Jesus live in our hearts and fill our lives with his everlasting peace and endless love.

St. Stanislaus Catholic School Open Enrollment

Easter is not just another holiday, not just another time to host a brunch or party, we are celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and as the prayers in a funeral Mass remind us, just as we will share in the death of Jesus, so will we also share in his resurrection. This is why Easter is the biggest and most joyful thing we celebrate in our Catholic faith. This is where the saying “we are Easter people” really comes to life.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

We have arrived at the midpoint of the Lenten season and I hope that all are persevering in their Lenten practices of prayer and penance. Again, I encourage you to offer your prayers, rosaries, visits to the Blessed Sacrament, Adoration, Mass intentions and all penitential sacrifices for peace in this world. We pray for an end to the war in the Holy Land, Ukraine, and the troubled nations of Africa. We pray for an end to terrorism, atrocities, political oppression and other injustices that are sins against God and humanity.

Every day of this Lenten season we prepare ourselves to renew our baptismal promises, together with the whole Church, during the Easter vigil service on Holy Saturday night. The Holy week of the Lenten season culminates in the renewal of our baptismal vows during the Easter Vigil or on Easter Day. Through our enlightened and more committed renewal of our baptismal vows we receive an outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

Dear friends, we have already walked more than two weeks of our 2024 Lenten walk/desert. And many of us heard the announcement and invitation of the Lord Jesus: “The time has come and the Kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe in the Gospel” (Mark 1:15) There has come a time of great importance to stop on the path/life and allow ourselves to be questioned by the Lord about our conduct in life in the face of the proposal of the Kingdom of God. More than talking about the “Kingdom of God/Heavens” is to live it and make it present in every moment of our life project. Living the Kingdom of God is living as Jesus lived. Hence the need for “attentive listening to Jesus himself.”

On this third Sunday of Lent we look at how the word of God speaks to us through the scriptures, it reminds us of the commandments and how we should behave since he is a jealous God and he knows our thoughts and knows well where we fail in our life. He reminds us how we should behave, so that we can be in grace with him, since he has words of eternal life and in him there is no fault.