April 8, 2007 "Alleluia! Christ is Risen!" These words have reverberated throughout the ages, announcing the Good News of Christ’s Resurrection. We Catholics in Utah join with the universal Church in celebrating our salvation as we proclaim Christ’s victory over sin and death. Indeed, we also join with the entire Communion of Saints and all creation, giving witness to the Lord of Life in our midst. Easter is a feast of incredible dimensions and cannot be contained in one day. Hence, the Church celebrates the Octave of Easter, an eight day festival, in which each day is considered an extension of Easter Sunday. But not even this is enough! The period from Easter to Pentecost comprises a 50-day celebration of Christ’s resurrection in which we sing our alleluia’s to the Lord and give thanks for the great gift of eternal life made possible through Christ’s paschal mystery. When the Easter Season comes to a close with evening prayer on Pentecost, we still do not end our celebration. In fact, each and every Sunday Eucharist is an extension of Easter Sunday and a continuation of the mysteries it contains. I heard years ago of Easter being compared to a diamond. Easter itself is the diamond and the various celebrations beginning with Ash Wednesday and concluding with Pentecost are the various facets of the central mystery we celebrate in the Resurrection. Passion (Palm) Sunday, Holy Thursday, Good Friday, The Ascension, Pentecost – these are all parts of the Easter mystery, the great diamond of our faith that shines brightly to dispel the darkness of sin and lead us to new life in the Risen Lord. Each and every day, Jesus Christ calls each of us to conversion, made possible through His victory over the grave. Christ’s invitation to new life has certainly been made manifest to me as I begin my ministry in your midst here in Utah. Every person I meet, every church I visit, every meeting I attend and every Mass I celebrate is a reminder of Christ’s Resurrection as He calls me to new life in Him. I continue to give thanks to God for all of you in this wonderful Diocese of Salt Lake City because in you I perceive the face of Christ who beckons me to follow Him. Certainly, your hospitality and kindness are clear signs that God is at work in my life and I can only pray that I will serve you faithfully and untiringly in the years ahead. My prayer for each of you is that the risen Christ will fill you with His Resurrection joy, raising His arms of benediction over you all. As we journey together in these fifty days of Easter and beyond, may we all experience the happiness that comes from committing ourselves completely to the Lord of Life who never ceases to love us beyond our wildest imagination. Happy Easter to you all and may the risen Lord’s greeting to His disciples echo always in your ears, "Peace be with you!" + Most Reverend John C. Wester, Bishop of Salt Lake City
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