Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Christ is Risen! "Alleluia!"

At the Last Supper, Jesus took the bread and wine, declared them to be his Body and Blood, gave them to his disciples, and instructed them to "do this in memory of me." (1 Cor. 11 :24).

When together we celebrate Mass, we not only experience our unity as living members of the Body of Christ, but we also receive Him—body and blood, soul and divinity—in the Holy Eucharist. This is so precisely because he is not to be found among the dead, but among the living, and that is our Easter joy.

The Catechism of our faith explains further, "When the Church celebrates the Eucharist, she commemorates Christ's Passover, and it is made present: the sacrifice of Christ offered once for all on the Cross remains ever present." (Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 1364)

My prayer this Easter Season is for all the members of our Archdiocese to experience the love of Christ through Sunday Mass. The Eucharistic Prayer speaks of this love, which summons us, in turn, to be loving, merciful and charitable toward others.
Communion with the Risen Christ at Mass is meant to guide every moment of our daily life. He calls us to recognize Him in those who are sick, troubled, or spiritually lost; those in the grip of addiction or mental illness; or those who have wandered away from the practice of their Faith. Yes, we pray for them, but we must also look deeper within our hearts, asking God to guide us in finding more of ourselves to share, so together, we are truly present to those who need us most.

Thank you for all that you do for your parish and for our archdiocesan Church. May the peace of the Risen Christ be with you and your loved ones. Happy Easter!

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Most Reverend Leonard P. Blair
Archbishop of Hartford