Dear St. Paul Family and Friends,

Easter gives us hope. The resurrection of Christ reminds us that death and darkness do not have the final word – after death comes resurrection, after darkness comes light. This is a very appropriate reminder as we continue to face life’s challenges. Sometimes, it is tempting to simply give up, to get stuck in darkness and wallow in pain, or to just be hopeless.

Mary of Magdala came to the tomb of Jesus early in the morning and saw the stone removed from the tomb. To make the matter worse, she could not find the dead body of Jesus. What could have happened? Did somebody remove it, stole his body, and desecrated it? Imagine how her heart was so gripped by fear, worries, sadness, and pain. She did not realize immediately that the empty tomb could also mean the fulfillment of what the Lord had been teaching them – that the Lord will die and will rise again on the third day. Unfortunately, her sadness and pain blocked her view of the resurrection of Christ.

We should not fall into the same tendency. Pains and sadness are parts and parcels of everyday life but there are more to life than these. There are also joy, gladness, peace, and victory. The story of Jesus did not end on Good Friday. Easter came and his light has not been vanquished since.

Let me re-tell the Parable of the Pear Tree. There was a man who had four sons. He sent them each on a quest, i.e., to go and observe a single pear tree. The first son traveled to see the tree in winter, the second son in spring, the third son in summer, and the fourth son in fall. When they had all returned from their travels, they described what they had seen. The first son said, “the tree was ugly, bent, and old.” The second son said, “it was covered in green buds and full of promise.” The third son disagreed saying, “it was full of blossoms that smelled so sweet and looked so beautiful.” The last one disagreed saying, “it was ripe and dropping with fruits, so full of life and fulfillment.”

The father explained that they were all right, because each had witnessed the tree in different seasons. But he told them, “You cannot judge a tree by only one season. Joy comes from recognizing and appreciating the challenges and opportunities in each season of life. If you give up when it is winter, you will miss the promise of spring, the beauty of your summer, and the fulfillment of your fall. Don’t let the pain of one season rob you of the joy that all the other seasons bring.”

Christ is risen and that should make us look forward to the joyful promise of our own resurrection.

Happy Easter everyone!