 Bishop Campbell's
2008 Easter Message
My brothers and sisters in Christ,
On this Easter Sunday, we once again celebrate the great feast of joy and hope, two of the distinguishing marks of a faithful Christian.
The joy that Christians experience is not a simple optimism nor an unwarranted exhilaration. It is a joy rooted in the realization that in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, all that threatens the dignity and future of the human person has been overcome. Our existence is framed by the eternity of God’s love that gives life, truth, and peace.
We now live our everyday lives with extraordinary hope. Facing all of the challenges of an imperfect world, we know that the power of the resurrection still can transform every reality, even banishing the fear of death. For, when all is said and done, Christ is the Alpha and the Omega, and in the end His love will triumph.
This love, manifested on the Cross and confirmed in the Resurrection, sustains all of creation and every one of our lives. From this understanding flows that peace of which our diocesan patron saint, Francis de Sales, once wrote: “Have no fear for what tomorrow may bring. The same loving God who cares for you today will take care of you tomorrow and every day. God will either shield you from suffering or give you unfailing strength to bear it. Be at peace, then, and put aside all anxious thoughts and imaginations.”
This love and peace of the Risen Lord we experience especially and preeminently in the celebration of the Eucharist instituted by Christ before His passion, death and resurrection. Here the Lord is truly present, fulfilling His promise that He would be with us until the end.
Therefore, in this Easter season let us rejoice and be glad. May the ever living Lord rise in your hearts and minds and bring you to life without end.
- The Most Reverend Frederick F. Campbell, D.D., Ph.D.
Bishop of Columbus
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