It’s been the longest, coldest, wettest winter I’ve ever seen in Modesto. But now Spring has returned to our beautiful valley, and we have the Lord Jesus to thank for the warm breezes, sunshine, and flowers. To all our parish family, and to those who are visiting this Sunday, I wish you all a Happy Easter. As they say, “everybody wants to go to heaven, but nobody wants to die.” Jesus died before he went to heaven, to teach us how it works. He has “trampled death by death,” in the words of the Byzantine Easter Liturgy. He has fought fire with fire, extinguishing the fire of hell with the fire of his love, poured out from the Cross. Happy Easter, again! The biological life that is blossoming all around us, however, is only a sign of the eternal life that is surging in people’s souls through Christ’s sacraments. 35 adults and youth are to be baptized this Easter at St. Joseph’s, and I dearly hope they will stay faithful to the Church until death. Resurrection is not for the body so much as it is for the soul, and the soul is sustained through fidelity to the sacraments. Without the Mass, the Lord’s Supper, we cannot live. Without the Mass, we merely function as zombies—we eat, drink, play, and work, but we don’t have the abundance of life Christ promises. Jesus did not simply resuscitate on the Third Day; he resurrected. It wasn’t simply that his body came back to life. His entire person—body, soul, and spirit—was glorified. So it is for our 35 newly-baptized. They will practice their baptism in weekly reception of the Eucharist. At every Mass the Holy Spirit is remaking us through the Sacrament of Holy Communion. I have known young people at the peak of bodily health who are dying through habitual sin. I have known very old people with chronic bodily weaknesses who are brimming with vibrant joy. This year, if you do not receive the Holy Eucharist every Sunday, come back to Jesus. Be one of those who brim with energy and joy, through fidelity to Christ.