Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ:

Happy Easter! Once again, we celebrate the pinnacle of our Christian faith, namely, the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. In so doing, here in 2025, we do well to reflect on that first experience of the Risen Lord Jesus Christ.

The first experience of Jesus’ resurrection was as much communal as individual. According to the Gospel of John, Mary Magdalene was the first to experience the empty tomb. In the Gospel of Luke, other women accompanied her. She ran off to tell Simon Peter and John, who made their way immediately to the tomb. John was the first to arrive but waited for Peter to enter the tomb.

Later, the Risen Lord would appear to Mary Magdalene, the disciples gathered behind locked doors and those on the road to Emmaus. Gathered all together, those first disciples would receive the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost and go forth to proclaim the Good News of Salvation through the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

What are we to make of this communal experience of the Risen Lord Jesus Christ? Such an incredible encounter with the person of Jesus Christ, crucified and risen, cannot be kept to oneself. This is the essence of Gospel joy. The Joy of the Gospel is meant to be proclaimed and shared with others. We do so as witnesses of faith, pilgrims of hope, and missionary disciples of Jesus Christ. Perhaps this is why we have such an increase in those entering the Church this year as well as the reason so many gather to celebrate Easter Sunday Mass.

Amid reports of increasing experiences of loneliness, depression, addiction, abuse and violence, humanity is regaining a deeper appreciation for how essential interpersonal relationships are for personal health, happiness and well-being.

We are communal by nature. It is for this reason that Jesus, just after being identified as the Christ, the Son of God, and before his death, declared that he would found the Church for the ongoing mission of bringing about the kingdom of God. He chose to save us, not merely as individuals, but as a community of believers.

Together, continuing to carry the wounds of our humanity, we celebrate the Risen Lord’s victory over sin and death. Despite the violence and injustice that remains around us, and even among us, may we strive to accompany one another toward a greater encounter with the Risen Jesus Christ. He alone is our hope and salvation! Alleluia, Alleluia!

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Archbishop Charles C. Thompson