This is Bishop Scott Mayer’s Easter message to the diocese.
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Easter once again demands our attention, refusing to let its amazing message of hope unbridled be ignored.
The Earth itself is Easter’s ally in this, demonstrating victory over death with every green blade of grass, every daffodil that lifts its trumpet head, every iris flag that waves in the breeze.
Birds add song and color to this annual spectacle of new and renewed life, making it hard to remain distracted by the worry, fear, or grief of these recent gray seasons of Covid.
This pandemic is changing us in ways we cannot begin to know yet. The last two years have given our entire world ample reason to be afraid, to worry, and to grieve, with 500 million cases of Covid and more than six million deaths worldwide, according to data from government health ministries. In the United States, as of April 10, 2022, nearly a million people have died amid 80 million cases of Covid. A message of new life and hope is sorely needed.
In this time of so much uncertainty, the reassurance of the Easter message gives us a secure place to stand, a space upon which to rest a while and gain strength for whatever comes next.
Let us spend some time in contemplation of the unimaginable Easter event born out of God’s unconditional love for us. Let’s allow the power of that love to enter our hearts and minds and provide a bulwark against weariness, a shield against cynicism, a respite from worry.
And then let us turn outward and offer it to others.
Have a blessed Easter.