Easter Sunday, April 5, 2026

“This is the best decision we’ve ever made as a couple.”…“I don’t know what I’m going to do after it ends.”…“It makes me love learning about my faith.”

Those are quotes from three young adults right here in our own parish who have decided to become fully initiated into the Catholic Church last night. They’ve been coming each week for the past few months to Catholic formation classes as they prepare to be fully initiated into the Church, and that is what they had to say about it.


And if you’ve seen any headlines about the renewed interest people have in the Catholic Church, I think it’s largely because young people want truth. No matter how unpopular some of the teachings of the Catholic Church may be portrayed, young people just want to know the truth. And they want to follow it, because they realize it brings them joy and peace in a way that nothing else can. And it's not a coincidence that when we follow the truth—peace and joy come into our lives. Because the truth is a person. And His name is Jesus.


He is God. He is the source of joy and peace. He is the foundation of reality, and He loves you.

…And our God shows us that, because the resurrection actually happened, we don’t even have to be afraid of death. We don’t have to be afraid of the one thing that nobody wants. Why? Because he shows death is not the end for those who remain with Him.


In today’s Gospel, the first words spoken by Jesus are: “Don’t be afraid.” Jesus does not want you to be afraid: Not of war. Not of the uncertainties of the future. Not of what your boss will say in the upcoming meeting. Not of how you are going to pay your bills. Not even of death.


And who are the ones who were told not to be afraid? It was spoken to those who remained even after the scandal of his torture and death. They remained with the Lord through every scandal: including when one of his closest followers betrayed him; including when another denied even knowing him three times. They stayed near the tomb, because no one else could offer them the joy and peace that He gave them.


…The young adults whose words I quoted at the opening of my homily are people who want to align their lives with the truth: that is, with Jesus and his Catholic Church despite the failures of Jesus’ closest followers, because they know the truth doesn’t change when someone fails to follow it.


…If you are one who has not remained with the Church, Jesus is worth coming back for. Nothing is more important than the truth, and the truth has a name: Jesus. So come back to Him. Stay near Him. And He assures you, you will not have to be afraid of anything.

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