"An Easter Surprise"

April 6, 2010
Year for the Priest

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

As people of faith we celebrate a fulfillment of the promised. In a sense it’s an Easter surprise. Even though the Lord himself, several times during his journey to Jerusalem, stated that the Messiah must suffer, die and rise, the apostles rarely understood the implications of Jesus’ statement.

Suddenly it happens and even the Gospel tells us his disciples do not yet understand what to rise from the dead means. Jesus will appear several times to the Apostles and disciples. They will interact with Him and yet they still will not realize what this Resurrection means.

But there is no denial of the Resurrection of Jesus. St. John tells us that he testifies to the truth of the written word and adds that there are also many other things that Jesus did. However, if they were to be described individually, I do not think that the whole world would contain the books that would be written (John 21: 24-25). It will take the descent of the Holy Spirit for the Apostles to celebrate the true meaning of the Resurrection. It is this same Holy Spirit, given to His Church that will assist all believers in appreciating and integrating the truth into their daily lives.

We will, in the next few weeks, celebrate the encounters with the resurrected Jesus. He will challenge those who knew Him well to live with a confidence in the Father. Slowly they will begin to understand that Jesus’ obedience fulfilled the Father’s plan so that His love maybe experienced through the sacrifice of the Son and the Son’s resurrection becomes the ultimate hope for us all.

I have just completed my first Lent and Holy Week here in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. I am so grateful to our faithful who walked with Christ during this sacred liturgical season. You were not celebrating a historical Jesus, but rather a Jesus who lives. In our liturgies you were involved in the mystery of a living Jesus, who to this very day interacts in our lives through His Church, through His word and through the good works performed in His name.

We are challenged to live as a resurrection people, never denying the acceptance of the cross, but always seeing our fulfillment in His resurrected Life, given to us all. I assure you we will encounter that living Jesus. Just open the eyes of faith and believe me, you will be amazed.

So why are you looking for the living among the dead? The great Easter surprise is that HE LIVES, and because we have died with Him, we now also live with Him. His suffering is our suffering. His death is our death. His life is our life. Is there any doubt that since He loves us in a total giving of self that we should do no less than love one another in His name?

See you at Mass!

Most Reverend Jerome E. Listecki
Archbishop of Milwaukee  

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