We are rushing to get ready for our time down in Australia where we have five parishes.  We leave on Thursday, April 23.  We start out in Minneapolis, fly to Chicago, then to San Francisco, then to Sydney and finally to the Gold Coast, Queensland.  That will be about 33 hours – start to finish.  As I mentioned, we have five renewals and that is down two or three from our regular schedule.  That is very deliberate as we are trying to cut back on our schedules (late 60’s and early 70’s is a bit of a wake-up call),  Joan has told you that we had a wonderful Lenten reception in all the parishes on the Eastern Seaboard

Easter is not over, despite the wonderful dinners or brunches that we experienced, despite the left-over hard boiled eggs in the fridge, despite the beautiful Eucharistic celebrations on Easter Sunday.  Now it is our turn to reflect to the world around us, the belief we have that Jesus has earned the resurrection of each one of us.  Death is not the end, and  the crisis and tragedy that we experience so poignantly is not final, but only a temporary blip on the path to the everlasting future that is our inheritance.  Be people of hope, not doomsayers.  Be upbeat in conversation, not complaining and fearful.  Our community and personal life is far from perfect but it is God who brings us to perfection.  “Where sin abounds, there, grace is even greater.”  Continue to celebrate Easter and prepare for the outpouring of the Spirit at Pentecost.