Dear Parishioners of St. James:
Christ is risen, alleluia!
Our High Priest, Jesus Christ, laid down His life for us and took it up again for our salvation. He is the Good Shepherd Who willingly died for His flock to bring them to eternal pastures. No one took His life from Him but He laid it down freely in a covenant of self-giving love. Our only response to His gift is to lay down our lives in love for Him.
When we received the Sacrament of Baptism, the Lord made a covenant with us.
By dying and rising Jesus Christ purchased our lives from the world, the flesh, and the devil.
We were made children of God by adoption through the saving death of the Son of God and by His wondrous Resurrection. Because we are sons and daughters of God now, our lives must be an offering back to the Father.
We have to lay down our lives for God. In order for us to become holy and the Church to increase in holiness, we need people to lay down their lives for the Lord. Will you lay down your life for God? Will you die to yourself so that others may live? Will you lose your life in this world so that souls may be saved from eternal damnation? “The stone rejected by the builders has become the cornerstone. By the Lord has this been done; it is wonderful in our eyes” (Ps. 118:22-23).
Happy Easter,
Fr. Geary
Saint James Catholic Church 