Bishop James P. Lyke, OFM, apostolic administrator, addresses this Easter message to the people of the archdiocese.

My Sisters and Brothers,

In the name of the Lord, and in the unbroken tradition of the apostles, I rejoice that I am able to greet you, to proclaim once again the message, the Good News, that Jesus, born of woman, and the Son of God, has risen from the dead, and abides, even as He promised, here, with us now.

By the gift of His Body and Blood, we are drawn to this Feast, to gain the food and drink of our souls, and the power of the Holy Spirit. By the gift of our baptism, we also believe we will share in the life of the Risen Lord in the time to come; therefore, the meaning of our participation in this sacred banquet is to testify with our lives, and without ceasing – Christ is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

We faithfully seek to travel the Way of Christ, which reaches from beyond the grave, and gives us sure and steady footing as we walk confidently toward eternity. As we travel, through the grace of Christ’s death on the cross and of His glorious rising, our actions are transformed according to his word, His Holy Message.

As the People of God, and the followers of the risen Lord, our challenge is to heal, through the holiness of our lives and through our love for one another. Jesus said, “This is my commandment: love one another as I love you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”

As the People of God, our challenge is to know and teach, by contemplating God’s revealed truth, and by letting that truth transform us, day by day. Jesus promised: “I will ask the Father, and He will give you ... the Spirit of Truth. And you will know it, because the Spirit remains with you, and will be in you.”

All of our efforts and accomplishments are generated, sustained and brought to success by the power of God, released in the timeless event of Jesus rising up from death, of Jesus turning back nature’s implacable authority, and in the power of Jesus ascending, body and soul, to the Father on High.

To participate in this triumph is the privilege and the grace of every baptized person. Since this is so, let us begin, with this Easter celebration, to strive even more in the work of building the Kingdom of God on earth.

Jesus has told us in the Gospel that the poor we will always have with us, and this is true here in the city and state we call home. We must always remember that after we have taken care of our primary charges, our families and friends, what remains must be shared with those who have nothing. The law of God, and the custom of the church from its beginning, is to take care of the helpless, the hungry, the lonely, the sick and the deprived. By our support for the charitable endeavors of the Church – for the missions, for clinics, for educations efforts in poor communities, and in our caring for the aging and old among us – by supporting these actions we discharge our obligation to live according to charity, loving even as we have been loved, by the Father, and by Christ. By giving our time, our talents and our money to the efforts of the local Church, we build the Church from within, and give it more abundant life.

Our faith teaches us that these are the only ways to rebuild and sanctify the world around us; God has been so generous with us, in the life of His son, and in the gift of His Holy Spirit. Let us in turn be generous to those who come to us in their time of need.

Let us also recall that the Kingdom of God includes the gift of creation, God’s first and most enduring gift to mankind. In our day, the life of our planet, though abundant, is threatened as never before. The Holy Father has reminded us, “We grow more aware, every day, that the world is not only jeopardized by armed conflict and political injustice, but also by a lack of respect for nature, by the plundering of natural resources and a decline in the quality of life. The sense of fear and uncertainty engendered by this crisis in nature is a seedbed for collective selfishness, disregard for others and dishonesty. Faced with the widespread destruction of the environment, we all begin to understand that we cannot continue to use the goods of the earth as we have in the past. Our very contact with nature has a deep restorative power; contemplation of its magnificence imparts peace and serenity. The Bible speaks again and again of the goodness and beauty of creation, which is called to glorify God.” (World Day of Peace address, January 1990).

So, my sisters and brothers, as we enter this time of our greatest celebrations, the Season of Easter, let us express our ineffable joy at being Sons and Daughters of the Lord, in our greater efforts to bring the peace of the Lord to all people, and to be at peace ourselves, with all of Creation. For God has filled His work with goodness, and has blessed it with the gift of His only Son, that all who seek it, might have life and have it abundantly. I greet you then, in the person of the Apostles, and say in worlds at once ancient and new, Jesus Christ is Risen. He is Risen indeed. Alleluia!

Bishop James P. Lyke, OFM

Apostolic Administrator

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