My Dear Sisters and Brothers: 
     Throughout Lent, we have all been engaged in deeper prayerfulness, greater deeds of penance, and more generous acts of love for God and neighbor. In addition, as I write, we have been privileged to observe the progress of those who this Holy Saturday will become Christians by receiving Baptism, Confirmation, and the Holy Eucharist. These we call catechumens. We have also prayerfully been watching those who are already Christian or simply uncatechized Catholics who will deepen their membership in the Church through the sacraments at the Easter Vigil.

In a very real sense, the Apostles themselves experienced a catechumenate under the direction of Jesus Himself. They listened to His instructions, prayed with Him, and often learned deep lessons about true faith as they observed Jesus’ public ministry. Their Baptism was their experience of participating in Jesus suffering, death, and Resurrection. Their Confirmation was the gift of the Holy Spirit on the first Easter Sunday evening. They received the Holy Eucharist and the gift of the holy Priesthood at the Last Supper.

However, it is interesting to note that from the time of His resurrection until He ascended to Heaven, Jesus continued to work very vigorously with His Apostles. He appeared to them, worked miracles for them, and taught them in word and deed. By the time the Holy Spirit came to the Apostles in a public and solemn way on Pentecost, they were finally prepared no longer to hide, no longer to question, but to preach joyfully and boldly the Good News of Jesus Christ. They proclaimed even unto death that through the saving passion, death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ, we are delivered from suffering, sin and death.

I ask everyone in our Diocese – but especially our priests, deacons, religious and laity who are bringing people to New Life this Holy Saturday – not to let these new Catholics become lonely in our Catholic faith. It is unfortunately a statistical fact that as many as 30 percent of all those who enter the Church or deepen their Catholic life at Holy Saturday afterwards leave the Catholic Church in a few months or years. This is a great tragedy. I ask all of those responsible for the parish’s implementation of the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA) to implement very carefully and fully the “mystagogia” (or in everyday language, the “follow-through” or “aftercare”) of those recently baptized or received into deeper communion with the Catholic Church.

I also ask that those of us who are “cradle Catholics” enter into a type of “follow-through” after Easter Sunday. We do so much for God and neighbor during Lent. Why should we do less in the glorious Easter Season? We pray so much more fervently in Lent, especially by daily Mass. Why do our daily liturgies empty out in the 50 days from Easter to Pentecost? We deprive ourselves of little things in Lent to raise our consciousness about our need not so much for ordinary nourishment for the Bread of Life, Jesus, Who is the Way and the Truth and the Life. Why do we not continue on this journey of penance in order to be more aware of the victory of our Risen Savior?

Let us pray for one another that we will see in the empty tomb of Jesus the fact that He is indeed victorious in heaven, praying for each of us to heed His call to holiness. Let us learn from the appearances of the Risen Jesus to His Apostles that He wishes to feed us with His Truth and Life. Let us pray for all Catholics, new or long-term, that we will follow the lead of the Good Shepherd into eternal life. He stands at our doors and knocks! 

Sincerely in Our Lord, 

Most Rev. Joseph F. Martino, D.D., Hist. E.D.
Bishop of Scranton