Easter Blessings
Saint Joan of Arc Catholic Church
Written by Fr. Don Kline on April 8, 2012
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
A Blessed Easter to the entire world as we celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead! I want to say how blessed we as a church are to welcome, those men, women and children who were received into the Church at our Easter Vigil! I also want to especially welcome those who have been away from the church and may be visiting St. Joan of Arc for the first time. Please come again! It is my prayer that the light and love of our Risen Savior will be with you throughout this Easter season leading all to eternal life!
Easter Sunday is the most important day in the liturgical year. As St. Paul reminds us: "If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain" (I Cor 15:4) Resurrection was and is the central point of what St. Paul preached--for without the Resurrection we would not have faith. As the Catechism of the Catholic Church reminds us, "the Resurrection of Jesus is the crowning truth of our faith in Christ, a faith believed and lived as the central truth by the first Christ community." So what the first Christians believed as the crowning truth of faith we as believers do today. Otherwise, as St. Paul implies so emphatically, what a huge waste of time and effort all of this would be!
This is why Christians celebrate Easter Sunday. For with the Resurrection our hopeless world becomes full of hope! Easter recalls the end of humanity's subjection to the powers of sin and death. It also signals the end of death without hope.
Ultimately, Easter is the story of God's love for all who have been, are now, and will be created in His image and likeness. But who hasn't lost sight of this magnificent truth of our faith at one point or another? Especially this year, the world continues to weigh us down, panicked over the state of the economy and world affairs. Even the most fervent of believers can be discouraged.
Certainly, faith in the Resurrected Lord does not recommend that we ignore or minimize problems. However, confronted by such concerns our Easter faith reminds us that we are not owned by the worlds problems! The Resurrection of Jesus Christ opens eternity to all of us. As Mother Teresa used to say, "Never let anything distress you so, that you forget the joy of the resurrection!"
So hopefully, with the gift and power of eternal life, our concerns and difficulties take on new perspective. For those who recognize what the fullness of life in Jesus Christ is about, in spite of difficulties there is still rejoicing and happiness not only on Easter Sunday!
This is why Easter is a season, which lasts until Pentecost on May 27 and begins with an octave of masses—8 days where we celebrate Easter Sunday. As we observe Easter, I want to thank all those who helped make our celebrations so meaningful! My heart is filled with joy and gratitude for all God is doing in our parish. May our Patroness, most powerful St. Joan of Arc obtain for each of us the grace to one day meet God face to face and may Our Lady be our solace and guide in every endeavor, joy, and trial! And may the Holy Eucharist be our wisdom and strength!
God Bless, Fr. Don Kline
Saint Joan of Arc
www.stjoanofarc.com/
3801 E. Greenway Rd. Phoenix, AZ 85032-4698Liturgy & Mass Times
Weekend Mass Schedule
Saturday
4:30 PM EnglishSunday
8:30 AM English10:30 AM English
12:30 PM Español
Daily Masses
Monday-Saturday (Held In The Chapel)
8:30AM - EnglishMid-Week Masses
Monday's and Wednesday's (Held In The Chapel)
6:00 PM Monday - English6:00 PM Wednesday - Español
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