Today we celebrate the greatest Feast of the year – the Resurrection of Our Lord and Saviour JESUS Christ from the dead. This is the day that changed the course of human history. If the Resurrection didn’t happen, everything else falls apart. St Paul put it very bluntly: “If Christ be not risen again, your faith is vain, for you are yet in your sins” (1 Corinthians 15:17).

But He is risen! The tomb is empty! Death has been defeated, sin has been conquered and Satan has lost the war. The Resurrection is not just a nice story with a happy ending. It is the foundation of Christianity. Neither is it mythology or symbolism. It is an absolute truth. JESUS Christ rose from the dead historically, bodily and gloriously. And if you truly believe this, nothing in your life can ever be the same again.

The Resurrection vindicates every single word Our Lord ever spoke. If He rose from the dead, then every commandment, every parable, every promise He uttered – all of it is true. He is not merely a teacher, He is not simply a prophet, and neither is He one great man among many. He is the God-man, the bridge between time and eternity. And therefore the Catholic Church He founded is the one true Faith, and His Name is the only name under Heaven by which we can be saved (Acts 4:12).

So the question is, what are you going to do about it? Are you living like an Easter people? Are you going to Mass every week? Are you going to Confession regularly? Are you praying and repenting, fighting against sin and trying to stay close to JESUS? Our Lord didn’t rise from the dead to impress us – He rose from the dead to change us! The same power that rolled the stone away is available to you today through the Sacraments, through the Holy Spirit, and through the Catholic Church which He founded.

If it’s been some time since you were last here, we sincerely invite you to come home to the full practice of the faith. The Church is your family and Christ is waiting for you – not just twice a year, but every day, in every Mass and in every Sacrament.

From Fr David and myself, we wish you and your families a grace-filled and truly happy Easter. God bless you all.

Fr Paul Gillham, IC