Christ is Risen! I am writing this to you on Easter Monday and am completely wiped out! It is an absolutely joyful exhaustion, however. What a glorious Holy Week and Sacred Triduum we shared together! I am still in awe about those beautiful days. At the Easter Vigil, I had the privilege to baptize six adults, receive four adults into the Catholic Church, and confirm all of them. In addition, I confirmed one other parishioner who needed to complete his own Christian initiation. What an amazingly joyful outpouring of sacramental graces! The Risen Lord and his victory over sin and death is happening still today, here at St. Patrick Parish. Those newly baptized became new creations in Christ, were set free from all of their sins, and were made temples of the Holy Spirit. Speaking of Christ’s victory over sin and death, my best guess is that the priests at St. Patrick’s heard somewhere in the neighborhood of 1500 confessions since Ash Wednesday! On Good Friday alone, the three of us heard non-stop confessions for 2 ½ hours. Each good confession is another instance of Christ’s victory at work here and now. Another thing that really has struck me during these days is the attendance both at daily Masses during Lent and during the Sacred Triduum. The presence of so many parishioners devoutly participating in these sacred liturgies was a sight to behold. During the Easter Season we often read from the Acts of the Apostles. This book shows us how the explosion of Christ’s resurrection continued through the life of the infant Church. The victory of Christ is extended through time and place through His Mystical Body, the Church. The first disciples of the Lord go and announce the Gospel to the whole world. As we read through Acts, we are struck by how God was doing amazing things through the life of the Church. After witnessing so many beautiful things happening in the life of our parish and parishioners during these days, I have the sense that God is doing something great in our midst. Something is happening here. The power of Christ’s victory is being unleashed in powerful ways in our midst. Some of you have mentioned to me that you have had the same sense. When these things happen, it is a pure gift from the Lord. It’s not like we are the ones doing it. We just happen to be the recipients of the Lord’s gift. What it demands of us in return is that we obey these movements of the Spirit. It demands that we follow where the Lord is leading and that we are faithful to the path that he is marking out for us. It’s not like we need to create something on our own. Instead, we have to remain faithful to the path that he is showing us. I have a sense that the Lord is not only doing something among us as a parish community, but he is doing something great in a lot of individual hearts and lives. The greatness that we are experiencing is not about us being so great. That would be kind of boring. The greatness we are experiencing is the greatness of the Risen Christ. It is the experience of being caught up in His Victory. I find myself looking around and feeling convinced that Jesus is doing something new among us. That newness is the evidence of His Victory and it makes me (and I hope, you) more convinced and more ready to proclaim the Truth that never grows old: He is Risen. He is Risen, indeed. Your Brother in Christ, Fr. David Barnes