Second Sunday of Easter (Divine Mercy Sunday) | Bulletin of April 12, 2026 Message from Msgr. Schwanger

My Dear Family of Our Lady of Lourdes,

Jesus Christ is risen!
His victory over death is our hope and our promise. He has rebuilt the temple destroyed by sin, that temple is we of the human family. In Jesus we are freed from all that oppresses us, both from within and from without. How different life is joyous and free when our eyes truly see, our ears truly hear, and we come to understand and believe that sin and death have lost their power over us because Jesus Christ is risen.

I was blessed during my studies in Rome to have the opportunity to visit the Holy Land once for Holy Week. There the history of our salvation comes alive. You cannot be long in the Holy Land without the reality of Jesus that God became man and walked among us, that He loved us and taught us and ultimately gave His life for us, that death could not contain Him and that He rose again and Ascended to the Father promising to send the Holy Spirit so that where He now is we also will be being clearly impressed upon every fiber of your being. You KNOW Jesus lived. You KNOW He lives still.

This confirmation in faith is the Easter gift I pray from the Lord for each and every one of us. Living in the Resurrection of Christ casts off the worry, fear, and self-concern that drains life out of a person and inspires that generous and hope-filled love that not only blesses the one loved but also the one loving.

Why? Because Christ is risen. He is risen indeed.

Happy Easter!

Msgr. Schwanger
Pastor

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