Dear Parents, Brothers and Sisters and Children of Our Lady of Peace Family,

I am so happy to extend you my Easter Greetings, and blessings from our Risen Lord. I hope, by the grace of God, that you are doing well and that the blessings of Easter have filled you with peace, joy, and love. The Emmaus Journey is one of my favorite Easter events. The Resurrected Christ walked along with a couple of the disciples, and they did not recognize him. Their faith was weak and in their despair they could not feel his presence. It was not until they participated in the Breaking of the Bread that their eyes were opened and they recognized it was Jesus.

I remember last Easter season, celebrating the Holy Week Liturgy while looking at the live streaming camera and empty pews. In May we were able to get together for worship again and now with every passing week I am so happy to see more people coming back for Mass and participating in the Sacrament of Confession. This growth has produced the feeling that everything is slowly getting back to normal and I am expecting more people for the Holy Week and the following days.

Though many of you have received your vaccination and have been attending Mass more frequently, I understand the unease that some parishioners still feel about returning. These days I get lots of emails from different companies selling resources that provide assistance to bring people back to the church. According to these businesses only 70% of people are going to come back. Is it true? Have any of you decided not to come back? Did your faith become weak? Are we having the same experience that the disciples did on the way to Emmaus? Only a strong faith allows our intellects to be illuminated by the light of God’s truth. Without that faith, our desperations and uncertainties cause us to be spiritually blind, and we can’t see God even when He’s right in front of us.

The choice is ours. You can continue on your road to Emmaus and stay there. Continue to live in despair, confusion, instability, and fear. Continue to live in a world where evil has the last word and death is the end of life. Or hear the Word, hear the Voice, and be overwhelmed by Love. Go back to Jerusalem, back to your passion, back to healing, back to a life of hope, and back to a world where love has the last word and life never ends. This love we celebrate this Holy Week. Jesus is inviting us from the Cross of Calvary - to be transformed by the unconditional love he has for us; to be nourished by his body and blood, the food for our journey, and to be filled with the peace and joy he bestowed upon the Blessed Virgin Mary and the apostles.

After breaking the bread and opening the eyes of the disciples Jesus was gone, leaving them with warmed hearts, lively spirits, and energetic bodies. They were so energized that they walked seven miles back to Jerusalem to share their good news that Jesus is risen and on the road. Every time we receive Holy Communion Jesus comes to us, fills us with energy and possibility, and the joy of resurrection. We can have new life, and we can be born again, right now at any venue. Let’s keep moving, and chart new adventures, because Jesus walks beside us on the road.
Let us rejoice and be glad!  Easter is the belief that Faith, Hope, and Love remain! Please be assured of my prayers for each and every one of you! 
A most Blessed Easter to you and your loved ones!

Fr. Binu Joseph.
03/29/2021.