Our Pastor’s Corner – Week of April 20, 2025

Dear Friends,

This weekend, we celebrate Easter Sunday. On this great day in which we cele-brate the Resurrection of the Lord I, along with Msgr. Leighton, Fr. Kassa, Deacon Paul Fisher and all of our parish staff, extend to you and your families a very Happy and Blessed Easter! It is my hope and prayer that the joy of the Risen Christ will renew and strengthen your faith at this time of year and give you the “peace” that only He can give.

I want to take this opportunity to thank all those who helped in any way to make our Holy Week liturgies beautiful and prayerful: all of our liturgical ministers, our music ministry as well as those who keep the church clean and decorated. We have many wonderful and dedicated people here at Our Lady of the Assumption who work “behind the scenes” and I could not have done anything without them. We are so blessed and I am so grateful.

And so our Lenten journey is now complete. It was back on March 5th that we began this journey with Jesus on Ash Wednesday and we accepted his invitation to take up our cross and follow him. This past week we were with Jesus as he entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. On Holy Thursday, Jesus bent low and washed the disciples’ feet giving them a new commandment to love and serve one another. On Good Friday, Jesus gave his life for ours on the cross. Now, having sat at the table with him and having stood at the cross with him, today on this glorious Sunday we find ourselves at the empty tomb and proclaim, along with Mary Magdalene, Jesus is risen! Death did not have the final word. Light has overcome darkness; new and everlasting life is offered to all people.

This Easter Sunday, we stand with Mary Magdalene at the empty tomb. She was a loyal and faithful disciple of Jesus as he preached to the crowds and healed the sick. She, with the other women, stood at the cross and watched her friend and master die a very public and humiliating death. Now after his death and burial, she is still looking for him. Imagine her surprise and shock when she saw that the huge stone that covered the tomb was rolled away. Imagine her shock and disappointment when she saw that the tomb was empty.

However, all is not as it seems. Turning around she sees “the gardener.” This ordinary gardener is the risen Lord! Jesus looks at her in a familiar way and says one word, “Mary.” Immediately, her eyes are truly opened and she realizes to whom she is speaking. She too replies with one word, “Rabboni” – which means “teacher”. Her disappointment turns to immense joy. Jesus has a mission for her. He asks her to go and tell the others that he has risen from the dead. Mary is the first to experience the resurrection and she is the first to proclaim this great news.

Today, we are called to follow Mary’s example; we too are asked to go and tell, to go and share the good news of our faith with others. Mary did not keep the good news of the resurrection to herself and neither can we. Just as Jesus called Mary by her name, he calls each of us by our name today. Like her, we too are called to be missionary disciples who share and proclaim the good news of the resurrection with all those we meet.

Once again, my prayers are with you and your families as we now enter these 50 joyful days of Easter. I want to take this opportunity once more to sincerely thank all of you for your prayerful, loving & financial support. It is truly & greatly appreciated!

May God continue to bless you & your families during this Easter Season. Buona Pasqua!

Love and prayers, Father Carey