Below is an Easter message from Cardinal Frank Leo.

My Dear Brothers and Sisters, 

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Praised be Jesus Christ. Happy and Holy Easter to you. 

Holy Mother Church celebrates with the greatest joy ever the Resurrection of Jesus from the dead. Striving to live our faith sincerely and as loyal, loving and engaged sons and daughters of God and of the Church, we are called and drawn into the experience of Easter Sunday which renews our hope and changes our lives by the power of the Holy Spirit. 

The Paschal Mystery we celebrate invites us to consider the glory of the Resurrected Christ and in this mystery, we rejoice not only that Christ is truly alive and remains present in our lives today and in that of the Church, but also that our Heavenly Father has been faithful to His promise, He who from all eternity desired to gather His children into communion through His Son. 

At the beginning of Lent, I encouraged us to look beyond ourselves — to seek reconciliation with God and with one another, and to rediscover the essential place of community in God’s saving plan (CCC 759-760). We must never forget that the Paschal Mystery is not only the remembrance of Christ’s Passion, Death and Resurrection — those historical events that took place a long time ago and far away — this mystery is the very pattern of all Christian life and forms who we are. 

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Our Lord’s Death and Resurrection are not simply events of the past; they are the living form of the Church’s existence. As you may remember, before the Resurrection, the disciples were scattered, fearful and locked away. After the Resurrection, they are transformed, those fleeing to Emmaus return to Jerusalem, and those locked away in fear eventually venture out to the ends of the Earth to proclaim the Good News. 

The Resurrection does not eliminate the journey of life with its trials and uncertainties; rather, it gives the journey its meaning, purpose, new hope and new dynamism. In the same way, the difficulties we experience — personally and communally — are not magically erased. 

Tensions, conflicts, scarcity, injustice and uncertainty remain real; yet in the light of Easter, they are transformed. They become moments of discernment and grace because the Risen Christ walks with us. 

When we lose someone we love or suffer a major setback — a relationship that has ended, a job opportunity that did not pan out, an illness that has come up or persists or the anxiety that afflicts so many of us, especially the young — the temptation, in these situations, is to retreat, to isolate, to want to be alone, to run away. The Good News of the Resurrection is that Jesus came for us and is present to us and wants to help us precisely in those very dark and seemingly hopeless circumstances. When the Apostles were broken down thinking He was gone forever, Mary Magdalene announced to them the great news: He is alive. When the Disciples of Emmaus were discouraged, disillusioned and walked away from the community, Jesus came to them and filled them with new hope and opened for them incredible horizons. 

Each of us has a story to tell, a sacred story to share. Each of our existential narratives are marked by light and shadows. But the author of our lives will never let us go through our hardships alone. The Power of the Resurrection is available to us today. The possibility of a new life is in our reach; the boundless energy of transforming grace is at our fingertips; the consolation and comfort of the Holy Spirit is but a prayer away; the second chances, and third and fourth which we really need, are part and parcel of God’s merciful plan. There is nothing to fear; there is endless love, endless hope in this life, endless light into which we are called. The Resurrection of Christ points to the renewal of our daily lives as well as to that day, one day, the last day, when we will be called to enter the fulness of life in eternity. May that eternity begin here and now, in our families and communities, by a daily decision to live out the Catholic faith with greater commitment, outstanding generosity, abundant virtue and authentic holiness. 

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Blessed Easter Season to you and your loved ones. Christ is Risen — truly He is Risen

His Eminence Frank Cardinal Leo,
Metropolitan Archbishop of Toronto