Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Church
Hot Springs Village, Arkansas
During the wonderful days of the Octave of Easter, we heard at Mass, stories of the early witnesses of the Resurrected Lord.  Some who witnessed were struck with fear, and others with joy, as they became hope-filled beyond their wildest imagination.  Also struck by fear in the midst of the shock, chaos, and now clean-up efforts, are those affected or devastated by the tornado that struck our state on Sunday.

It is heartwarming to hear of those who rushed to the affected areas to offer help and hope to the tornado victims.  I am personally proud of a nephew, Nicholas, who is in the Army National Guard and a first responder, who spent nearly the whole night helping victims of this terrible storm.  It was also uplifting to hear from so many victims who are people of strong faith, who are not allowing the devastation to overwhelm them; but instead, are looking for and finding comfort, help and hope from The Lord and from Christ-like people.

In addition to our continued prayers, I would recommend making a donation to the Red Cross (for short-term relief) or Catholic Charities (through our parish) who will be there long-term to help rebuild the lives of those affected by these storms.  I'm so thankful for our disaster-response team from our parish who are ready to swing into action as needed.
As I write this reflection, I am remembering the Gospel for this day (Tuesday of the Octave of Easter) in which, according to the account in the Gospel of John (Jn 20:11-18), Mary Magdalene encounters the risen Lord after mistaking him for the gardener in the area around the empty tomb.  It tells us that when she recognized him as the risen Lord Jesus, she was told by Him to let go of Him and share the good news of His Resurrection with the disciples.

Among other things, I believe this episode is telling us that while it is vitally important for us to hold onto Jesus (in good times and indifficult times), and grow in union with Him in prayer, there is a time for us to go out and spread the "Joy" of the Gospel with others.  Of course this should happen in all of our encounters with others - whether they are believers in Jesus Christ, crucified and risen, or not.

Our hope-filled, joy-filled demeanor and our selfless attitude that looks for, and responds often to many others, especially the poor and those threated unjustly in our midst and in our world, will give glory to the risen Lord (as Mary Magdalene's actions did) and lead others to follow Him as disciples of the Lord.

This coming weekend (April 25-27), I am excited to be participating in the Knights of Columbus State Convention.  I will be surrounded by brother Knights and their spouses who are following the example of Mary Magdalene and countless others who have followed her example.  I pray in this Easter season in a special way that my brother Knights and all Christians will let the Holy Spirit guide them into a deeper union with the Lord, and with that, a joy and hope that reaches out to others in love and brings others to experience the joy of Gospel-inspired lives.  God bless you all!
Each sports season, when the final game is concluded, moves into the "off season" when everyone relaxes for awhile and takes a break from the rigors of preparation, practice and the playing of  games.  The Church, however, doesn't have any "off season" period of time.  We go from season to season (Lent to Easter to Ordinary Time to Advent to Christmas) and are always called to be active in our faith and "always" growing in our relationship with God.

As we read during the Easter Season in the Acts of the Apostles, of the growth of the Church and the inspiration of the Holy Spirit upon believers of Jesus as the Resurrection and the Life, we are challenged in a unique way to let the Holy Spirit guide us to give witness to Jesus Christ, crucified and risen, in our thoughts, words and deeds.

The work of evangelization is ongoing and receives special emphasis during the Easter Season.  Lent has prepared us to be stronger in our faith in proclaiming God's good news of salvation and eternal life through Jesus Christ, and in caring for all, especially the "least among us".  May our Alleluias ring out not only in church, but in our daily lives this active Easter season.

Note:  As joy-filled as our church and other churches were at the Easter Vigil as we ushered in Easter, we could have been even more uplifted by new life in the Church with one or more people being baptized.  I pray our efforts (inspired by the Holy Spirit) in the Easter Season and beyond, will produce candidates for the waters of baptism next Easter Vigil.