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Pastor’s Letter: April 20, 2025 Easter

Dear St. Philomena Parish Family,

Blessed Easter! Christ is risen, Alleluia! He is risen indeed, Alleluia! I hope all of you enjoy the blessings and joys of the gift of Christ’s Resurrection. As we gather this weekend to celebrate Easter Sunday, we recognize with great joy that Christ has conquered sin and death and that the gates of Heaven are thrown open for the faithful. We celebrate that Jesus has kept His promises, fulfilled His mission, and opened the door for our reconciliation to God. We also recall that Jesus has fulfilled the many prophecies of old…as well as many that He gave us Himself.

A few years ago, someone asked me about the reference to “three” days in the tomb…so, I thought it would be fruitful to review through how we understand those three days. I would guess that if I asked you about the prophecy of Jesus rising after three days in the tomb most all of us would say that sounds familiar. It definitely should—did you know that Jesus said something (or a reference is made to what Jesus said) about being in the tomb three days at least 11 times in the gospels! If you have extra time on your hands, check out any of the following: Matthew 16:21, 17:23, 23:19, 27:63; Mark 8:31, 9:31, 10:34; and Luke 9:22, 18:33, 24:7, 24:46. If you want to wait to check those out later, here is one for now: “From that time Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised up on the third day” (Mt 16:21).

You might be thinking it is clear that Jesus saw this coming…and that He fulfilled it perfectly…Amen! Alleluia! However, for some, the question might remain…all those Scriptures say Jesus will be in the tomb for three days…we remember His death and burial..