"Then he said to Thomas, 'Put your finger here and see my hands, and bring your hand and put it into my side, and do not be unbelieving, but believe." (John 20:27)

In my early 20s, I volunteered at a parish youth group. I witnessed teens encountering Jesus with a fresh, romantic wonder that reminded me of my own teenage conversion. But something had changed in me. I was quietly jaded and cynical. When teens shared stories of encountering Christ, I'd want to sarcastically murmur, "Well, good for you." I had grown suspicious of the zeal I once knew.

Dear Beloved Parishioners and Visitors,

Greetings in the joy of the Risen Lord, Jesus Christ!

On this beautiful Easter day, we celebrate the cornerstone of our Christian faith, as the apostle Paul aptly states, "If Christ had not been raised from the dead, then our preaching is in vain, and so is your faith" (1Corinthians 15:14). Through His suffering, death, and resurrection, Jesus has redeemed us. As the Lamb of God, He has taken away our sins and renewed our relationship with the Father through His sacrifice. The offspring of the new Eve, that is, Our Lord and Savior, has crushed the head of the offspring of the ancient Serpent, that is, Satan, as foretold in the book of Genesis 3:15. We owe Him infinite gratitude and praise!

My Dearly Beloved in Christ;

We are very near now to that time which is for us a new beginning, the commencement of the Blessed Passover in which the Lord was sacrificed. Starting from this day on which we celebrate Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord, the Church recalls the entrance of Christ the Lord into Jerusalem to accomplish His Paschal Mystery. This event of the Triumphant Entry of Our Lord Jesus Christ into Jerusalem, serves as the gateway to the High points of the Liturgical year which we celebrate in the Holy week.

A friend of mine wrote an imaginative reflection on the raising of Lazarus that caught me off guard. She proposed that when Jesus called Lazarus from the tomb, the man was not joyful but angry and annoyed. After so much suffering, maybe death felt like a release. He had finally escaped the pain. And then, suddenly, Jesus' voice cuts through the silence: "Lazarus, come out!" (John 11:43) The light stings his eyes. The pain returns. And now he is dragged back into a world that had broken him.

Dear Parishioners of the Blessed Sacrament and Visitors,

Today marks the fourth Sunday of Lent, traditionally known as Laetare Sunday, or the Sunday of Rejoicing. Rightly so, in the opening antiphon of the liturgy of this Sunday, the church proclaims, "Rejoice, Jerusalem, and be joyful, all who are in mourning."

Fellow parishioners of Blessed Sacrament and Visitors,

We are already in the third Sunday of Lent, and time is flying by quickly. Before we know it, Easter will be here. If you started off slowly in fully embracing this season, it's time to roll up your sleeves and recommit yourself to your Lenten resolutions.