Alleluia, alleluia.
Christ, our paschal lamb, has been sacrificed;
let us then feast with joy in the Lord.
Alleluia, alleluia.

Luke 24:1-12

At daybreak on the first day of the week
the women who had come from Galilee with Jesus
took the spices they had prepared
and went to the tomb.
They found the stone rolled away from the tomb;
but when they entered,
they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.
While they were puzzling over this, behold,
two men in dazzling garments appeared to them.
They were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground.
They said to them,
“Why do you seek the living one among the dead?
He is not here, but he has been raised.
Remember what he said to you while he was still in Galilee,
that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners
and be crucified, and rise on the third day.”
And they remembered his words.
Then they returned from the tomb
and announced all these things to the eleven
and to all the others.
The women were Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and Mary the mother of James;
the others who accompanied them also told this to the apostles,
but their story seemed like nonsense
and they did not believe them.
But Peter got up and ran to the tomb,
bent down, and saw the burial cloths alone;
then he went home amazed at what had happened.

Let us remember we are in the holy presence of God…

Reflection by Br. Dennis Lee, FSC

ALLELUIA. Indeed, ALLELUIA.

Last week, in Baltimore, nature was awakening. This week, New Jersey is alive with new growth, fresh aromas, and life springing everywhere. Because Easter is late this year, nature is currently, and very vividly, calling us to new life. After a winter of darkness, the natural world is bursting with life.

This weekend, we will celebrate Jesus’ bursting forth with new life in his Resurrection. As we attend the beautiful Easter Vigil liturgy this weekend, let us be attentive and awake to the profound symbols that will resonate with this renewed life. We begin with the blessing of the fire. The all-consuming fire begins with a simple spark. May it remind us of our ongoing need to vigorously fan the flame in our own lives!

Next will come the lighting of the Paschal candle from this new fire. Our spark is not for ourselves alone. Just as the Easter candle is lifted high and is processed amid the gathered congregation, we are called to bring the light of the risen Christ to the people with whom we live and among whom we minister.

After listening to our remarkable salvation history through various Hebrew Scripture texts, we hear the Resurrection account according to Saint Luke, which ends with the report that Peter “went home amazed at what had happened.” Let us be amazed again at the great news that is the Resurrection.

As the liturgy proceeds from the Word to the Eucharist, we hear these words from the Easter preface: “Overcome with paschal joy, every land, every people exults in your praise and even the heavenly Powers, with the angelic hosts, sing together the unending hymn of your glory…”

On this Easter day (and throughout this Easter season), let us be “overcome with paschal joy.” Through the liturgy, may we be ever amazed at the promise of new life, which we can simultaneously observe ever so clearly in nature this week.

ALLELUIA! HAPPY EASTER! ALLELUIA!

Saint John Baptist de La Salle…pray for us!

Live Jesus in our hearts…forever!

A Brother for more than 50 years, Dennis Lee serves as the Visitor of our District. Before District leadership, Brother Dennis served as teacher and campus minister throughout the New York City area, but for those that know him best, his heart will always be in Kenya, where he has served as a missionary working with Lasallians in Nairobi.