Pastor's Note from Fr. Szparagowski 📝 - [April 14th Bulletin]

We give praise and thanks to God for the graces He has given us! Christ has risen, Alleluia! He has risen indeed. Alleluia! Today St. Luke invites us to reflect on the profound mystery of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. As we journey through this sacred text, let us open our hearts to the message of hope and transformation that it offers us.

In today’s Gospel, we encounter the two disciples who had just returned from Emmaus, where they had encountered the Risen Christ on the road. Filled with amazement and joy, they share their experience with the other disciples, only to be met with disbelief and doubt. It is in this moment that Jesus appears among them, offering them His peace and reassurance.

Jesus’ presence among the disciples is not merely a ghostly apparition; rather, He stands before them in His glorified body, bearing the wounds of His crucifixion. He invites them to touch His hands and feet, inviting them to see that He is not a spirit but truly alive. In this encounter, Jesus confirms the reality of His resurrection, fulfilling the prophecies of scripture.

Furthermore, Jesus opens the minds of His disciples to understand the Scriptures, revealing how His passion, suffering, death, and resurrection, were foretold. He reminds them that everything written about Him in the law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms must be fulfilled. Through this revelation, Jesus empowers His disciples to become witnesses of these events, proclaiming repentance and forgiveness of sins to all nations.

Brothers and sisters, just as the disciples were transformed by their encounter with the risen Christ, so too are we called to be witnesses of the Resurrection in our own lives. Like the disciples, we may encounter doubt and disbelief, both within ourselves and in the world around us. Yet, through faith and perseverance, we can come to recognize the presence of the Risen Christ in our midst.

As witnesses of the resurrection, we are called to share the good news of Jesus Christ with others. We are called to proclaim repentance and forgiveness of sins, inviting all people to encounter the mercy and love of God. In doing so, we participate in the mission of the Church, spreading the message of hope and salvation to the ends of the earth.

Please invite someone to Mass. St. Philip Neri, pray for us! Have a blessed week, Fr. Szparagowski.