That all depends upon your willingness to know Christ and to serve Him.

So again, what does Easter mean for you? Easter is supposed to mean unending joy, forgiveness and mercy, love and hope, and the gift of Eternal Life, among many other faith-inspired purposes. While we are Easter people and celebrate Easter—the Resurrection of Christ—all the time, technically the Easter Season is between the Great Vigil of Easter on Holy Saturday night until the celebration of Pentecost, which this year falls on Sunday, May 19.

Easter is an invitation into God’s eternal and divine love. It is an invitation to encounter Jesus and to be transformed into goodness, hope and joy. Easter is so much more than the Easter Bunny, chocolate eggs, jellybeans, and peeps. It is about who you are, and what you are called to become. However, of great import, Faith is not inherited; we are called, thus invited, into a relationship with Christ to encounter Him—by our free will.

We live in a time when fewer and fewer people practice faith. Some 33 percent of Catholics attend Mass; similar numbers are present among Jews, other Christians and Muslims too. If only we were hockey, baseball or soccer. Yet, statistics also show that among faith practicing people, joy is a greater part of their lives. In fact, for those who have no faith—imagine a child walking through life wondering if there is a purpose to life, the world, or their very being? Imagine that same young adult confused and worried about the future, and having nothing for which to hope? Again, faith is not inherited rather it is entered into by invitation. In addition, as a Church, we need to get out the “pens and cards” and “write” those invitations to the greatest party there is—Eternal Life.

Easter IS Hope. Easter IS Love. Easter is Mercy and Forgiveness. Easter IS life Eternal.

As we enter into Eastertide, let us welcome all back home—the CAPE Catholics, Christmas, Ash Wednesday, Palm Sunday and Easter—and be the welcoming community we are meant to be. Let us embrace people where they are in faith, and by word and action, lead them to Christ. You and I can be that “encounter” with Christ they are looking for, we can be the initiation to faith that they are hoping for. The Catholic faith is not just about rules, regulations and traditions; no, it is truly about an encounter with forgiveness, love, mercy and hope: Christ. Moreover, you and I are called to be part of that encounter, a conduit to Him. He created us in His likeness and Image—and He calls us to lead others to Him.

So make this Eastertide a time to renew our own call to faith and our role in growing the Church, to be those “living stones” that the Church is comprised. Let us begin anew and reshape this world and culture of hopelessness, a world of misery and pain, a world often times devoid of love. Let us commit to be another Christ in a world of great need. It always makes me sad when I think of being a small child realizing that Church was in fact family time. We went as a family every Sunday. Far too often I have heard parents say to me, “Father, we don’t come to Mass because with work schedules, Sundays are the only day as a family we get spend time together.” We need to change that. We need to welcome our families back home, in the Church. A blessed and happy Easter to all our Catholic family, one and all!