For millions of Christians around the world, Easter Sunday symbolizes a day of Christ’s resurrection and one in which spiritual life within us is renewed.

For me it is no different.

As a Catholic, my beliefs are grounded in my Catholic Faith and they allow me to believe that the teachings about the life of Christ, His death and consequent Resurrection, are an important element in my life.

It does not mean that I dismiss other people’s religious views and beliefs; I truly respect them. It’s just that Catholicism is what I was taught as a child and it still works for me.

I was lucky, I like to believe, that I had parents who not only preoccupied themselves with my worldly needs like food and clothing and education, but also with my spiritual needs as well.

I was taught at an early age, that the Catholic Faith would be the guiding light in my life, and that that was the light that I should follow for the rest of my life.

As I have gone through my life, my spiritual faith has been continuously challenged. There have been times when I have been tempted to forget what I was taught and pursue other worldly things; sometimes I lost that battle.

And at other times I failed miserably to live up to the covenant that I made with God as a child and consequently as a young adult when I was confirmed at the age of 15. For those failures I have sought out the sacrament of reconciliation and tried to atone for my sins.

But by virtue of what my parents taught me and by how they lived their lives, I have always been brought back to the path that had been set out for me.

Many times, the very fundamental nature of our lives seems to get in the way of our spiritual journey. We seem to get sidetracked by false promises of happiness and success whose basic roots are not grounded in a spiritual faith; but rather an earthly way of life.

And if that is the path that some people choose for themselves, then who am I to judge?

As you celebrate this Easter Sunday, if indeed you do, I hope that your life will be filled with the promises that you have based your spiritual life on.

As for me, I will thank God for my parents whom I miss very much,

Florentino and Margarita; that they had the foresight and the wisdom to guide me on the path that I continue to follow as an adult.

And one that I believe will ultimately lead to the reason that Christ died on the Cross; everlasting life.

May each one of you and your families have a Happy Easter Sunday.



Email: acruztsc@aol.com