Easter Message and Greetings from the SJBS Staff

April 2, 2021

Dear SJBS Community,

On behalf of the entire staff of St. John the Baptist Catholic School, I want to extend a heartfelt wish of Easter joy to each of your families.

This past December, I pruned the roses in our front yard. This year, I cut them back so far that my wife said, "I hope you haven't killed the roses." I worried about that myself, until I began to see the smallest green shoots start to appear on the remaining branches that I had feared were dead. By early March, the roses were exploding with new life, more than I ever realized was possible. Even severe pruning had not killed them but had only prepared them to be that much more beautiful and full of growth.

In the Easter story that we hear in the Gospels, the disciples experience the joy of the risen Jesus very unexpectedly. They have been at their lowest point -- grieving the loss of their friend and teacher as well as deeply disappointed with themselves for having abandoned or denied him during his arrest, trial, and death. From fear, grief, guilt and hopelessness they journey into joy on Easter morning. Easter calls us to trust in the gift of new life, even when it is unexpected and might look different than we have ever imagined. Pay attention to the resurrection stories on Easter Sunday and in the time ahead -- Jesus is not always immediately recognized, and yet his new life is also a renewal of life for his disciples. We pray for openness to whatever new life presents itself during our time. We may be doubtful, like those first disciples, fearful, and broken, and yet this new life is the Easter promise. In the continuing love of our families, in the experience of still being here with all of our potential and possibilities as human beings, life does continue, and just as the springtime world reminds us of the renewal of life in nature, it can remind us of the possibilities in our own lives. In that spirit, I wish you all an Easter full of hope, possibility, and joy.

God bless you and your families,

Mr. Brazil