Easter Joy Overcomes the Sufferings of Life



Dear Friend, 



It is my great honor to wish you and your families a most blessed Easter, not only on this day of the Resurrection itself but for the entire 40-day season which we are beginning today.



May the Lord bless you with an abundance of light and spiritual fruitfulness in this holy season!



In the face of such losses, I had to look beyond the losses to the Resurrection that far surpasses the pain and suffering. Just as Easter stands on the other side of Good Friday, so also joy is only found on the other side of the sorrows of life and death. We only really understand the Resurrection when we go through our trials and arrive at the peace and joy that lies beyond.



And this message is not only for me. It is the universal message of the three-day journey of our blessed Lord from the sufferings of Calvary to His glorious Resurrection! 



In short, although we are not exempt from the sufferings of life, but as Christians, we know that pain and sorrow are not the last word. We cannot allow the Enemy to steal our joy! 



The joy of the Resurrection of Christ is a permanent fixture on the horizon of humanity now. No one, absolutely no one can take that from us. Which is to say: we know how this story ends. 



The Resurrection gives us hope for the dawn after the darkness of the night. It gives us strength to remain faithful during the hard times knowing that, no matter how difficult they might be for us, they are also temporary. The Resurrection alone is eternal. 



The Psalmist spoke of this long ago as a kind of foreshadowing of the Paschal Mystery:



I praise you, LORD, for you raised me up



and did not let my enemies rejoice over me.



At dusk weeping comes for the night;



but at dawn there is rejoicing.



You changed my mourning into dancing;



you took off my sackcloth



and clothed me with gladness. (Ps 30:2.6.12)



Yes, suffering endures for a day. Light comes with the dawn. What a beautiful Easter message for all of us!



So now, as we move into the Easter season, we remind ourselves that we are partakers in the Cross and Resurrection of Christ for the redemption of the whole world. If we share in the sufferings, we also share in the victory.



And that is why we proclaim Christ Crucified and Christ Glorified. It is the Church’s everlasting proclamation!



Again, it is my great privilege to offer you and your families Easter greetings today together with a promise of ongoing intercession for you in our daily Catholic Action Holy Masses and prayers.



In the Resurrected Christ! 







Thomas J. McKenna  

Founder and President

Catholic Action for Faith and Family



P.S. For the first time, His Eminence, Raymond Cardinal Burke will offer the Operation Storm Heaven Holy Mass and Rosary at the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest’s International Seminary of St. Philip Neri in Gricigliano, Italy, which will be live streamed on Easter Monday, April 1. If you have notsubmitted your intentions <[link removed]>for Operation Storm Heaven April 1, please take this opportunity to do so now.







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