Friends of Blessed Sacrament,
One of my favorite Easter stories is a passage illustrating the Risen Christ’s appearance on the road to Emmaus. Feeling defeated, lonely, confused and scared, the two disciples become amazed at the one man who does not appear to know “of the things that have taken place” in Jerusalem. Once they arrive at their destination, they invite this man to join them after the day’s journey. Upon realizing it is the Christ, they say to one another, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he spoke to us on the way and opened the scriptures to us?”
Although the events detailed in this account occurred over 2,000 years ago, one can see a parallel message in today’s modern society. Regardless of our title – pastor, principal, teacher, parent or student – we find ourselves looking downcast as we encounter “the things that have taken place” in our community, school and homes. Like the two disciples, we may feel isolated, anxious or confused, perceiving Christ as crucified and buried. What we do not realize, however, is the Risen Christ walks with us every day. He can be found in the Pastor who hears our confession, the educator who comforts a student, the parent who loves their child unconditionally and the student who stands for up for their convictions regardless of age. After
these encounters with the Modern Christ, we find our hearts burning with a desire to carry the message of God’s love to a world of discontent. As we journey together in this Easter Season, I pray that we continue to be alleluia people and experience a burning heart allowing us to be true messengers of Christ’s message.
In closing, I offer this Prayer for Easter for our faith community:
Lord Jesus Chris, you are risen! Alleluia! Easter is the most important day of the year, and all of all human history. Let us rejoice that you have resurrected yourself from the dead, showing us that you have achieved victory over sin and death forevermore. May our Catholic school community celebrate your wonderful gift of new life throughout this Easter season. We ask this through the intercession of St. Joseph, the protector of our Holy Catholic Church. Amen.