The forty days of fasting, prayer, penance and sacrifice during the holy season of Lent will culminate in the celebration of the solemnity of Easter, the Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
The summer’s heat this year has added to the penitential spirit of Lent making it more conducive for added sacrifice provided sufferings one undergoes due to changes in the seasons of nature which are beyond ones control can indeed be occasions to understand and experience the pain and struggle of all those who live in an environment of extreme weather: summer’s heat and winter’s cold. Jesus Christ after his betrayal by Judas his own disciple, then arrest by the soldiers of High Priest, his condemnation to death by Pilate, the scouring and crowning of thorns which followed and the way of the cross he tread to Calvary and on it he was crucified between two thieves on three nails are all events in the life of Our savior are such that the torture, pain, insults, misery and sufferings are so untold that what we and many others in extreme weather conditions undergo mean nothing and nowhere to be compared with. Christ who was sinless became sin for us; innocent of all counts of accusations and allegations became guilty because of us and his death on the cross brought us life unending and eternal because he was raised by His Father from death and was given a Name above all names so that all knees will bend and all heads will bow before Him for having fulfilled His mission for which He was sent in the fullness of time to be our Saviour not that we might perish but that we may have eternal life.
Therefore, whether it is summer or winter, hot or cold around us of a climate not of our making and liking, let us rejoice singing Alleluia because Christ is Risen indeed and He has appeared to Simon His Apostle on whom He established His Church of which we are all the privileged members. May the joy of Easter enlighten our minds and hearts to experience the history of salvation we contemplated during the holy season of Lent and may the solemnity of the celebration of the resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ enkindle in us the burning experience felt by His disciples on the road to Emmaus as he explained to them the Holy Scripture which foretold of His suffering, the cross and His resurrection. HAPPY EASTER.
XGerald Isaac Lobo
Bishop of Udupi