Something wonderful is happening here: Homily for Easter Sunday, April 20, 2025

We live in a time of new life. While it may not feel that way to all, the Church is growing, the Spirit is moving, and Jesus is still offering his new life. Readings for Today.Something wonderful is happening hereIf you have been paying attention, you might have noticed that religion is making a small comeback. All over the world the number of people coming into the Catholic Church has been remarkable. The National Catholic Register reported that the Diocese of Cleveland “expects 812 converts at Eastertime 2025, which is about 50% higher than in 2024 (542) and about 75% higher than in 2023 (465). It’s so high that the diocese had to move its Rite of Election — during which prospective converts meet with the bishop near the beginning of Lent to declare their intention to join the Church — to the city’s Public Auditorium and Conference Center, because the cathedral wasn’t big enough to accommodate the nearly 3,000 attendants, including converts, sponsors, family and friends, according to Nancy Fishburn, the diocese’s executive director of communications.”The same article reports that there is a 56% increase in the Texas diocese of San Angelo. The Diocese of Winona-Rochester has a 67% increase in those entering the Church, and the numbers there are almost double what they were in 2022. “In 2023, in a parish in a town of 12,000 people, St. John’s welcomed 32 adult converts, followed by 27 in 2024. This year the total number is 38: 30 adults and eight children.” The article reports that dioceses in all parts of the United States are seeing increases. And it is not just the United States. According to the French bishops, 10,384 adults will be baptized this year on Easter night, and more than 7,400 teenagers aged 11 to 17. This brings the total number of catechumens receiving baptism in France this year to over 17,800, an increase of 45% for adults compared to 2024. Of these 42% of these are 18-25 year olds. Similar stories are reported in Canada, Austria, Australia, Belgium, Mongolia, the Netherlands and Spain among others. And here at Saint Dominic Parish in Denver, we are seeing similar trends. The New York Times features a columnist who wrote about her former life as a quite active Mormon. She left the Mormon faith, not for another religion but for a more secular life. And yet she feels something is missing. She writes this: “Actively religious people tend to report they are happier than people who don’t practice religion. Religious Americans are healthier, too. They are significantly less likely to be depressed or to die by suicide, alcoholism, cancer, cardiovascular illness or other causes. In a long-term study, doctors at Harvard found that women who attended religious services once a week were 33 percent less likely to die prematurely than women who never attended.”It seems that many are discovering what we already know. Jesus brings life. Our faith is not one where we only share the positive elements. Our Messiah, the Divine Son of God was crucified and killed. The first leaders of the Church do not hide their failures, but speak clearly about how they denied him, betrayed him, ran away at his hour of need and doubted him.But they spoke clearly about how their lives were changed. They went from frightened mice to bold martyrs. A small band of believers became a Church that now boasts over 1 billion members.And while there are many reasons for this, it cannot be denied that there is an increasing recognition of the action of God in people’s lives. There is, to quote Saint Paul, a greater likelihood these days that people “seek what is above.” They realize that just allowing the Holy Spirit into our souls produces unbelievable spiritual growth.Consider the example of yeast and dough. If you are like me, you might not even think about yeast. But yeast is tiny. And yet when added to dough the result produces exponential growth.  “A little yeast leavens all the dough.” Read more . . .