From the Pastor's Desk - April 19, 2025

Dear St. Martin’s Parishioners,

He is Risen! He is Risen, indeed! In the Old Testament book of Ecclesiastes, the author laments, “What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done; and there is nothing new under the sun” (Ecc. 1:9). Today is the celebration of the new thing which the Old Testament authors could scarcely imagine: Christ has conquered death, and his Resurrection has revealed a new dimension in history. This new dimension now available to a fallen world is grace: “And from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ” (Jn. 1:16-17).

By sanctifying grace, which we receive through the sacraments, we participate in the new reality that Christ has instituted by his Resurrection. On the day of the Resurrection, Christ breathes on his apostles in the Upper Room, saying, “Receive the Holy Spirit” (Jn. 20:22). This breathing forth of new life from the Risen Christ is what confects all of the Church’s sacraments: rebirth through baptism; forgiveness and reconciliation through confession; fullness of the gift of the Spirit in Confirmation; communion with Christ and the Church through the Eucharist; sharing in Christ’s bond of love with the Church in matrimony; priestly ministry in holy orders; healing and strength through anointing.

On this Easter day, Christ breathes upon the whole Church, saying “Receive the Holy Spirit!” Through faith and our living out of the sacramental life of the Church, we drink in the Spirit of God, becoming one with Christ in his Resurrection. He is Risen! We, too, shall rise with him, for we possess his Spirit. Happy Easter!

In Christ,

Fr. Dave