Pastoral Messages
Easter Blessings
I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for being at St. Rita this Easter. You make our worship and our Eucharist so very special when we are gathered together like we are on Easter.
Together we both receive and celebrate the Good News: Alleluia! He is Risen! He is Risen Indeed!
Easter is the very heart of who we are as Christians. It is a day overflowing with Joy, New Life, and Re-creation. It is a day when all those words deserve capital letters and many sentences end in exclamation points! This Easter Day catapults us into rarified air and we do not come down until we hit the ground running, renewed with the Gifts of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost.
One of the questions we are faced with on this day is, “Where is Jesus?” Our Gospels do not show Him to us. Instead we are confronted with an empty tomb.
We don’t encounter Jesus at the empty tomb because we are His Tabernacle, we are His Temple. He is the Word made Flesh and He has made His home with us and all the human race.
We all know our lives are better when God is in them. We all know that our lives are better when we live them in the light of gratitude and service.
Thank you again for being here. You are always welcome. Your friends and family are always welcome.
Rejoice and be Glad! Jesus is not at the empty tomb. Jesus has made His home with you and gives Himself to you lovingly at every Eucharist.
Carry with you always the Good News of Easter: Alleluia! He is Risen! He is Risen Indeed!
Have a blessed Easter,
~Fr. Tim
Scripture
An Introduction to Sunday's Scripture Readings - April 20, 2025
This Sunday is Easter! We have come to the climactic conclusion of our forty days of Lenten preparation and our Holy Week liturgies. This is considered the most joyous and most sacred liturgy of the year.
Our Christ, who had come to live among us, suffered and died for our sins, and rose from the dead. Thus, He broke the bonds of death and leads the way for all of His faithful back to the Father.
There are two liturgies for our Easter celebration—Saturday Vigil and Easter Morning.
The Vigil Mass on Saturday night features numerous Old Testament readings that highlight many of the key moments in salvation history beginning with our first reading of the creation story (Genesis 1:1-2:2). In our second reading comes the story of God parting the Red Sea so the Israelites could escape their slavery in Egypt (Exodus 14:15 - 15:1). Our third reading is the prophesy of the Prophet Isaiah near the end of the Israelite's exile in Babylon. It is an invitation to God’s grace and blessings (Isaiah 55:1-11). In our fourth reading, the Prophet Baruch (Bar 3:9-15, 32—4:4), writes on the importance of Wisdom. She is seen as being very close to God.
In our Epistle reading (Romans 6:3-11), St. Paul teaches us that as we also died with Christ, so too, we will receive new life in Christ.
The Easter Sunday morning readings are shorter and focus more succinctly on Jesus' resurrection. The first reading is from the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 10:34, 37-43) and is an excerpt of St. Peter's speech in Caesarea where he boldly proclaimed the risen Christ.
Our Second reading (Colossians 3:1-4) is a short reminder of what we should be doing—always focused on Christ, seek what is above, instead of the things of the earth.
Our Gospel reading (John 20:1-9) is John's telling of the events on Easter morning. Mary of Magdala was the first to see the tomb empty and ran to get Simon Peter and the others.
Easter Vigil: bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/041925.cfm
Easter Sunday: bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/042025.cfm
Upcoming Events
- Women Enjoying Rediscovering Our Catholicism - Tuesdays at 9:00 am in Room 1
- Women's Faith Sharing - Thursday, April 24 at 7 pm
- Count It All Joy - Saturday, April 26 at 5:00 pm Mass
- Sensory Friendly Mass - Sunday, April 27 at 2 pm
- Youth Group - Sunday, April 27 at 4 pm
- St. Rita Reads...Dorothy Day: Radical Devotion - Sundays, April 27 & May 4 at 11:45 am
- Breakfast @ St. Rita - Sunday, May 4 from 8:30-10:30 am
- Easter Praise Concert - Sunday, May 4 at 2 pm
Latest News
- Join the Events team - we need your help!
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- Beware of Scam Requests - if you recently received a text or email from Fr. Tim asking for gift cards or a favor, please be aware that this did not come from Fr. Tim
- Kickball Registration Now Open - grades 2-6; six week season begins first week in May
- Parish Council - now seeking nominations!
- 75th Anniversary - Potluck Picnic on June 1
What's Happening This Week
Faith at Home
- 3 Minute Retreat - from Loyola Press; take a short prayer break right at your computer by spending some quiet time reflecting on a Scripture passage
- The Family Zone - a weekly Family Zone Newsletter, provided by the Office of Evangelization and Catechesis of the Diocese of Rochester
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