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April 20, 2025Dear Brothers and Sisters,
It will come as no surprise to you as Easter is now upon us that my April ponderings are centered on the wondrous love of God shared with us in the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. For love of each one of us and for everyone of us, God sent his Son into our humanity and into the world so that we may have fullness of life unto eternity. Out of love for us, Jesus endured his suffering, out of love for us, He died a violent death, and out of love for us, He rose triumphantly from the grave. God raised Jesus from the dead in a love stronger than the darkness of sin and even death itself. Jesus took on the pains of suffering, sin, and death, so that we might be freed from fear and filled with hope in the promise of the eternal life and everlasting love that is our inheritance in him. And it is into this love that we, the beloved of God, have been born and baptized, making us temples of God Spirit and a dwelling place of God’s love.
After his resurrection from the dead, Jesus appeared to his disciples in the room where they were huddled behind locked doors out of fear of the authorities. “Peace be with you,” he said. When he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. And the disciples rejoiced. “Peace be with you,” he said again. As the Father sent me, so am I sending you. (John 20:19-21)
The new life of Resurrection is not just something that happened for Jesus in the “then” of long ago, but happens in the “here and now” in us as we open our hearts and souls to the Spirit of the Christ rising from within us. By the grace of God and the power of the Holy Spirit that has been poured into us, we are called to proclaim resurrection (i.e., “He is alive”) now and to experience newness of life now by our living and our loving in Christ, the Resurrection and the Life!
“Easter in your Heart” from Passion for the Possible by Daniel O’LearyChrist Rises in your heart when:
You wake in the morning with new hope;
You go to bed with a forgiving heart;
You truly grieve at another’s loss;
Your heart rejoices at another’s joy;
You keep your temper with a trying friend;
You refuse to nurse a niggling hurt;
You try again to beat your fears;
You face the routine of another day;
You try again to say, ‘I’m sorry;’
Your broken heart begins to mend;
You notice beauty you missed before;
You weep at the greed that causes war;
You delight when love comes round again;
You put together the broken pieces.
And make with God a work of art;
You dare to love despite the grief;
You discover, within your winter,
A summer-time that never ends;
You hold the earth and all people
As you hold the hearts of those you love;
You trust in dawn at the darkest hour;
You accept your weakness and it makes you strong;
When you try to live in the present moment:
You know your freedom is truly won
And you dance on your grave like the Easter Son.
There is an old phrase often spoken of Christians at Easter that is often used glibly: “We are an Easter people and Alleluia is our song.” These times in which we live are challenging, difficult, and even painful in many ways. Discouragement, disappointment, and even despair can make Easter peace and joy seem far off, distant, and cliché. As women and men of faith, our hope and our courage to stay rooted and grounded in love—in the midst of our struggles and our sorrows, our dreams and our longings—is the Risen Christ who says to us “Peace be with you” and who breathes his own spirit into us, just as he did to his disciples on that first Easter of long ago.
May the love of God and the peace of the Risen Christ fill all of us with hope and with courage to be who we are: an Easter people whose witness to love and to life shouts out songs of joyful Alleluias in praise to the living God, whose Spirit inspires bold courage and renewed strength in us for the building up of the beloved community.
God bless, Happy Easter, and best to all!
Gratefully,
Very Rev. John Collins, C.Ss.R.
Provincial Superior