Easter 2025 – Message from Bishop Michael Brehl, C.Ss.R.
YouTube link : https://youtu.be/5eBX9h7MU5g
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Christ is Risen! Alleluia! He is Risen indeed! Alleluia!
After walking with Jesus through the Forty Days of Lent, we accompanied him to Jerusalem where we shared once again in his Last Supper. We prayed with Jesus in his Agony in the garden. We followed him to Calvary where we stood with Mary, his mother, beneath the Cross. We watched and prayed in silence as he was laid in the tomb.
Then, in the darkness of the Easter Vigil, and with the dawning light of Easter Sunday, life once again bursts forth from that dark tomb. Jesus is alive! He is present among us! The Easter message renews our hope and fills us with joy! Our heartfelt Alleluias echo the cries of joy on that first Easter morning.
Throughout the forty days of Lent, God renewed us personally, and as a community. We walked with Jesus as pilgrims of hope. He has called us to conversion of heart, and Jesus continues to form us as his Church today.
Now, our journey continues, guided by the presence of the Risen Lord. For the fifty days of the Easter Season, Jesus prepared his disciples to welcome the gift of the Holy Spirit and to continue his mission in the world. Today he is preparing us as well. Together, we can embrace the future with hope, guided by his Holy Spirit.
Throughout this Easter Season, let us walk with the Risen Jesus! May he prepare us, personally and as a community, to continue his mission in the world!
First, it is important to recognize the stirrings of new life in our communities. As I have visited many of our parishes during this Lenten journey, I have been struck by the numbers of people taking part in missions and retreats, in workshops and daily Mass. There is a growing hunger among God’s people for spirituality and meaning.
In many parts of the diocese, we have welcomed new members through baptism and confirmation. Many of you have become actively engaged in reflection on the future of your communities and parishes. You continue to serve the homeless poor, to offer catechesis to our young people, and to work together for justice, development and peace, Caritas.
These are all signs of hope and signs of new life for our Diocese. As we face the challenges ahead, we know that the Risen Jesus walks beside us. This is the source of our hope and our joy. Christ is Risen! Alleluia!
May you celebrate a very blessed Easter, filled with joy and hope! May Mary, Mother of the Church, unite us more closely with her Son Jesus and make us authentic missionaries of hope!
And may God bless us all + in the name of the Father and + of the Son and + of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Happy Easter!