By: Bishop James A. Tamayo

Let there be Light (Gen 1:1)! And once again there is Light.

Let us rejoice as we celebrate on Easter Sunday the Resurrection of Jesus Christ! The season of Lent has concluded and with it comes the beginning of the glorious season of Easter. As we celebrate Easter, we are witnesses to the Resurrection of Christ. With the dawn of Easter Sunday, Jesus passes over from death to life to give us the sure hope that one day we can share in His triumph over mortality and sin. And how do we achieve this eternal reward? We follow Jesus by listening to His word, by celebrating His mysteries and by loving our neighbor as He loves us. And whenever you begin to think that life is too difficult to follow in His steps or to obey the 10 Commandments or succumbing to temptation remember this. Christ became obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Because of this, God greatly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name, which is above every name (Phil 2:8-9). Meditate on how God in times past saved His people and how He has sent His Son as our Redeemer for our salvation. Throughout the Lenten season we have heard about reconciliation and conversion. In my previous column from two weeks ago, I spoke of the Light Is On for You campaign, which encouraged all Catholics—those close to the Church but especially those who have been away—to seek the Sacrament of Reconciliation as the first step to conversion and reconciliation with God. The first step out of darkness and onto the path following the Light of the World. And the journey we call conversion does not conclude with the end of the Lenten season. Instead it has only begun. Conversion is a life-long journey in seeking that eternal reward we call Heaven. Our faith formation and our love for God should never cease growing. We continue on this road by attending Mass, at the very least, every Sunday and on Holy Days of Obligation. The conversion continues by making time for daily prayer and for reading the Bible and other Catholic literature. Living a Catholic retreat is a great way to detach from all the distractions of the modern world. The serenity provided by a retreat allows us to listen clearly to God’s will for us. These are just a few examples of how to follow Jesus. As we gather on Easter Sunday to break bread at tables throughout the Diocese of Laredo to celebrate this festive occasion, I ask that you take time to remember and reflect that Christ is our paschal lamb that was sacrificed. And on Easter Sunday we feast in joy with the Resurrected Lord. We commemorate this holiest of days by understanding and embracing that the stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone of our universal Church and our salvation. Go forth and declare the saving works of the Lord! Shout to the world that His mercy endures forever! And above all, give thanks to God that the light of Christ’s resurrection shines bright in our life impelling us to live— Todo Con Amor.