To meet the risen Christ and have a true Easter, we must be baptized in the name of Jesus (Acts 2:38). This not only means that we must receive the sacrament of Baptism; it also means that we must live our Baptisms by being immersed into the person of Jesus. Like Mary Magdalene, we should be so preoccupied with and focused on Jesus that we hardly notice "two angels in dazzling robes" (Jn 20:12). As St. Patrick prayed, we are to be very conscious of Jesus within us and around us, above and below us, to our right and to our left, etc. We who are baptized into Jesus must say with Paul that to us, " 'life' means Christ" (Phil 1:21). As the deer longs for the running waters (Ps 42:2), we should seek, pine for, and thirst for Jesus (Ps 63:2).

How can we be so immersed in Jesus? We must reform and have our sins forgiven (Acts 2:38). Then we will have a new Pentecost. By the power of the Holy Spirit, we will meet the risen Christ and be His witnesses. Baptism is the key to Easter. The Holy Spirit gives us the power to live our Baptisms. Repentance, expressed in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, opens us to the Spirit. Thus, on the first resurrection night, Jesus gave His apostles both the Spirit and the authority to forgive sins in His name (Jn 20:22-23). Start the fifty-day season of Easter with Confession, leading to a new Pentecost and a renewal of your Baptism. Then you will meet the risen Jesus.

Nihil Obstat:  Reverend Edward J. Gratsch, October 10, 1995

Imprimatur:  †Most Reverend Carl K. Moeddel, Vicar General and Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, October 13, 1995