Alleluia! He is risen! “I rose up and am still with Thee.” After His labors and humiliations, Christ finds rest with His Father. "I am still with Thee." This is perfect beatitude. Through His cross, He has entered into eternal glory. Christ has gained the crown of victory, and through Him, we too can achieve our crowns of victory. Humanity was once under a curse and subject to the wrath of God. Now, having risen with Christ, our guilt has been destroyed. The Church prays these words alongside Christ.

"The earth trembled and was still when God arose in judgment." The resurrection of Christ is both a judgment and a condemnation for those who turn away from God. This judgment was foreshadowed by the angel who passed through Egypt, striking down the firstborn of the Egyptians while sparing the Israelites who marked their doors with the blood of the paschal lamb. We are the new Israel, and "Christ our Pasch is sacrificed." We mark ourselves with His blood, which we receive in the Holy Eucharist. We have been pardoned, we are saved, and we shall live.

“The Lamb redeems the sheep. Christ, the innocent One, has reconciled sinners to the Father.” (Excerpted from The Light of the World by Benedict Baur, O.S.B.)

Wishing you all a Happy and Blessed Easter.

Yours in Christ,