We find joy in our celebration of Easter, even though we were born so many years after Christ’s birth, death and resurgence from the tomb. I urge you to consider its relevance to our lives in the present day — with the hope that your hearts are enkindled, and your minds are filled with awe — because Christ’s victory over death lies at the core of Christian faith.

Through a sacrifice that Jesus alone could bear, humanity was redeemed, and “by his wounds, we were healed” (Is 53:5). How blessed and fortunate are we to be so loved by our Creator, that he would surrender his own son to the wood of the cross. Consider this: an infinite, perfect, timeless and omniscient being died for you, personally; and he would have done so even if it was for you, only. Just think how many like you understand this fact of history and live for it.

Ponder the cross, the darkness that enshrouded the world, only to be pierced by the unquenchable tongues of fire and radiance of an ethereal king. The Father, Son and Holy Spirit in one voice proclaimed why we are here, and why our lives are worth living — love, love in union with perfect love.

So, I ask you to love God, love your neighbor as yourself, keep in the forefront of your mind the reason we celebrate this day. Christ’s redemptive death and resurrection are not constrained by time and space. His life is eternal, and in it, we find our joy, our fullness, our peace.

I wish you a blessed, joyous Easter. Rejoice, for he walks among us. Sing alleluia, for he is risen!

In Christ’s love,

Most Rev. Jacques Fabre-Jeune, CS

Bishop of Charleston