He is Risen! Alleluia! © SalveMaterDei.com, 2012

The Lord has indeed risen, alleluia! Glory and Kingship be His forever and ever!

There is no greater joy, no higher feast, than the celebration of the Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ! May Christ bestow on you and yours all the blessings of this Glorious Easter Morning! Christ has Risen! Death has been conquered! Salvation has been won! The Lord is victorious!

One can only imagine the emotions that flooded the disciples on that first Easter Morning. The exuberance, awe, amazement, shock, gratitude must have undulated in waves. They had seen their beloved Christ disgraced, betrayed, beaten, scourged, crowned with thorns, mocked, dragged through the city, tortured, nailed to the cross, and allowed to suffer for hours in the blazing sun before He relinquished His Divine Soul to God the Father. Jesus’ friends had witnessed His side slashed open with a soldiers lance to reveal copious amounts of blood and water- the last precious drops of His blood poured out for humanity. They had seen Mary tenderly cradle the corpse of

Taking the body, Joseph Wrapped it in Clean Linen and Laid it in a Tomb. © SalveMaterDei.com, 2012

her Divine Son, kissing the bruises and bloody gashes. The disciples had seen his body prepared for burial; they helped wash Its cold and lifeless limbs, anointed It with spiced oil, aloe, and perfume, and hastily wrapped It in a clean linen shroud. These friends helped to roll the heavy stone at the door of the tomb, and watched as a guard sealed the tomb, and menacingly guarded its entrance.

Yet all of that belonged to yesterday- the darkness and death are gone, in it’s place Resurrected Life is to be found.

One can sense the panic as Mary Magdalene approaches the tomb, with Mary the mother of James and Salome, to find the stone rolled back. The thoughts and questions must have fired like lightning in a storm. The guard is missing, the burial cloths are there, but empty. Where is He? Where has He gone? Where have they laid Him? I imagine their encounter with the angel – the joy and confusion. How can this be? Yet, nothing is impossible with God! I envision myself running like Peter (o.k., Peter probably ran faster than would I), out of breath, quivering, questioning, grasping for truth. I contemplate John, peering into the tomb, waiting in silent wonder for Peter to enter first, and together to encounter a reality beyond their human powers of comprehension.

Faith is the act of willing to believe what is hidden from our eyes, but revealed to our hearts. © SalveMaterDei.com, 2012

We are offered the same reality, and yes, we must stretch our powers of comprehension and assent to faith to believe what we cannot see. To participate in the Resurrection, and share its joy we must embrace what we cannot as humans explain nor understand. Faith involves a choice, and we must will it!

Like the visitors to the tomb on that first Easter morn, the words of the angel are directed to us:

“Do not be amazed! You seek Jesus of Nazareth, the crucified. He has been raised; he is not here. Behold the place where they laid him (Mark 16:6). “

Do not be amazed, do not seek Him among the dead, for He is not there. He is risen! He is truly Risen, indeed Alleluia! Go and tell others! Share the joy of this moment, that all might come to believe.

As we continue our journey in the octave of Easter, moving toward the Feast of Divine Mercy, let us continue to prepare our hearts to receive all the grace and blessing that our Risen Lord wishes to bestow upon us. Let us continue to contemplate the wondrous Mercy that is His ultimate gift to humankind. As we daily pray our novena of Divine Mercy Chaplets, let us consider this Passion of Christ that is the mystery of our redemption. The chaplet is prayed on ordinary rosary beads, and takes only about 3 minutes to recite. The full text for the Chaplet can be found on the Marians of the Immaculate Conception Website at: http://thedivinemercy.org/message/devotions/praythechaplet.php.

Today, as we celebrate Easter and continue our preparation for the Feast of Divine Mercy, we turn our prayers to the faithful souls who are enfolded in the arms of the Savior. Our Lord specifically asked St. Maria Faustina to immerse these particular souls in the abyss of His Mercy on this Sunday. Jesus stated:

“Today bring to Me all devout and faithful souls and immerse them in the ocean of My mercy. These souls brought Me consolation on the Way of the Cross. They were a drop of consolation in the midst of an ocean of bitterness (1214, p. 437– Divine Mercy in My Soul, Congregation of Marians, 1987)..“

Walk as Children of the Light! © SalveMaterDei.com, 2012

Like St. Faustina, let us today pray for all the faithful, that they may never fail in love or lose the treasure of the Holy Faith. Let us beg the Heavenly Father to surround these souls with His constant protection so that they may one day glorify the immeasurable mercy of God with the angels and saints in Paradise for all eternity.

The entire text of the third day of St. Maria Faustina’s Divine Mercy Novena (as directed by Our Lord Jesus) can be found on the Marians of the Immaculate Conception Website at: http://thedivinemercy.org/message/devotions/novena/thirdday.php.

May Our Risen Lord envelope you and yours with His Love and Mercy. May His blessing be always upon you, and may we one day praise Him together in the company of the Heavenly Court, with joy, and glory for all eternity,

Wishing you and yours the joy of a glorious Easter.

Praise the Lord for He is Risen!

Indeed, He is Truly Risen, Alleluia!

Ad Jesum per Mariam

M.A. J.M.J.