SAN DIEGO — The following is an Easter message from Bishop Robert McElroy, from the Catholic Diocese of San Diego:
The Feast of Easter constitutes the centerpiece of the Christian year, for in the resurrection of Jesus Christ we find our call as disciples to ennoble the world in which we live, our assurance that God has redeemed us fully once and for all, and our conviction that we are ultimately destined to live with our God in the Kingdom of Heaven alongside all those whom we have loved in this life and who have gone before us in death.
In the resurrection appearances of the risen Lord, the apostles are simply overwhelmed with the miracle of Easter — the power of God over every form of human suffering including death itself, the love that God bestows upon every one of us that is personal and without reserve, and the glory that lies before us in this earthly pilgrimage.
The sufferings of the past two years have burdened us as people of faith, as families who have known sacrifice and illness, and as a Church seeking to recapture the vibrancy that we have lost.
But it is in the beauty of Christ’s resurrection that we find the enduring context of hope and glory that can sustain us, draw us together and deepen our bonds of love and affection.
When the risen Lord encountered the apostles along the seashore in Galilee, their rejoicing was profound and palpable. They had seen Christ crucified and yet now they recognized that He lived in their midst once more.
Let us also rejoice in this day of discovery and faith, for it is the Lord who guides us in our journeys of faith and life, and it is the risen Jesus Christ who stands by us at every moment with unsurpassed power and mercy.
