Pastor's Reflection - April 5, 2026

The Joy of the Resurrection

Jesus Christ is risen from the dead, and now because of this TRUTH we have the power to live our lives free from fear and the slavery of sin. This is such good news that it caused the disciples to run and announce it to others. An encounter with the Risen Lord is life-changing.

Even though the disciples were exposed to persecution and the agony of watching Jesus be crucified, He came back, and through the Holy Spirit is now at work in our lives, helping us to experience the power of His transforming love and grace.

In preparation for Pentecost, our first reading during the Easter season is taken from the Acts of the Apostles. This is a wonderful way for us to prepare our hearts for a new Pentecost. The devil is pressing hard to suppress the Good News of Jesus’ resurrection and to hurt and separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. We see the devil’s destructive work every day as we hear stories of war, violence, and people being isolated and falling into despair. The world needs our witness that when we are in Christ and open to the Holy Spirit, we are more than conquerors (Romans 8:37).

As we celebrate the Easter season, let us pray for a deeper faith and trust in the Risen Lord and open our hearts to the Holy Spirit so that we can follow the mission the Lord has given us: to continue to allow Him to free those who are oppressed by the devil (1st reading today). This mission begins with our recognizing the strongholds in our lives and praying for the Lord to break them, which will increase Easter joy in our lives.

I wish you all a most joyful Easter, and I am praying that we all deepen our faith as we prepare for Pentecost. God wants to unleash a new Pentecost on the Church, so I will end this column with the beautiful prayer for boldness we find in the Acts of the Apostles after the religious authorities demanded that the disciples stop speaking about their experience of the Risen Lord.

In Christ,

Fr. James Northrop