i do!
"They killed Him, finally, hanging Him on a tree, only to have God raise Him up on the third day and grant that He be seen, not by all, but only by such witnesses as had been chosen beforehand by God." —Acts 10:40-41
Alleluia! Jesus is risen! We don't have to wait to die to share in the power of Jesus' resurrection. In Baptism, we have already "been raised up in company with Christ" (Col 3:1). Like John (Jn 20:8), Mary Magdalene (Jn 20:16), and the two disciples on the road to Emmaus (Lk 24:31), we can meet the risen Christ and live the risen life today by having faith in Him.
Today, at every Mass in every Catholic church in the world, the Church calls us to express our faith in the risen Lord by renewing our baptismal promises. If we truthfully answer "I do" to the six questions of the baptismal promises, our lives will be revolutionized. Then, during Easter Mass and Easter season, God's word will burn in our hearts and purify us (Lk 24:32). We will recognize the risen Christ in the breaking of the bread at Mass and in receiving Communion (Lk 24:35). We will receive a new Pentecost, be renewed in our Confirmations, be filled with the Holy Spirit, and live the risen life.
Easter is for right now. Easter is for those baptized into Christ's death and resurrection (Rm 6:3-4), for those believing in the risen Lord and living their Baptisms at all cost. This Easter day can be one of the greatest days of your life, if you accept the continuing grace of the greatest day of your life, your baptismal day. Have Easter now!
Prayer: Father, risen Son, and Holy Spirit, "I DO!"
Promise: "Let us celebrate the feast not with the old yeast, that of corruption and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth." —1 Cor 5:8
Praise: Alleluia! "This is the day the Lord has made; let us be glad" (Ps 118:24). Alleluia forever!
Nihil Obstat: Reverend Robert L. Hagedorn, November 9, 1996
Imprimatur: †Most Reverend Carl K. Moeddel, Vicar General and Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, November 15, 1996