“But the angel said to the women, ‘Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus
who was crucified. He is not here, for He has been raised, as He said’.” (Matthew 28:5-6).
Today, the Church joyfully proclaims the truth announced at the empty tomb: “He is not here, for
he has been raised” (Matthew 28:6). This is a message not just proclaimed to the “whole world”
but spoken personally to each of us.
From the beginning, God has desired an intimate, personal relationship with each of his children.
Scripture reveals God as the one who created us out of love, who pursued us even when we turned
away, and came to us in the fullest revelation of his love in Jesus Christ, suffering death to save us
from our sin and restore our friendship with him. “Christ’s resurrection teaches us that no history
is so marked by disappointment or sin that it cannot be visited by hope…However distant, lost or
unworthy we may feel, there is no distance that can extinguish the unfailing power of God’s love”
(Pope Leo XIV, October 8, 2025, General Audience).
Jesus died for us, personally and intentionally. He came to restore what was lost and draw us into
communion with the Father. The Catechism reminds us that, “the Cross is the unique sacrifice of
Christ, the ‘one mediator between God and men’. But because in His incarnate divine person Jesus
has in some way united himself to every one, ‘the possibility of being made partners, in a way
known to God, in the paschal mystery’ is offered to all” (CCC 618).
As you gaze on Jesus Crucified and Risen, let this truth touch your heart:
Jesus loves us and continues to pursue us with His love.
Read Bishop Christian Riesbeck, CC’s Easter 2026 message, here.