Cardinal Timothy Dolan: 'Messages Of Easter Are Hope And Joy'
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - Easter is Christianity's greatest feast day, and as thousands of the faithful gathered at Saint Patrick's Cathedral, Cardinal Timothy Dolan preached that the twin messages of Easter are hope and joy.
He sees the coming of Christendom's highest holy day in the framework of the seasons of history and the cycles of nature.
WCBS 880's Rich Lamb reports
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"The great temptation of life is to give up," Dolan said. "You listen to the news all day, and there's enough there to make us cry. There's enough there to say, 'Is life literally going to hell?' Easter Sunday says no. It might seem like it, it might seem like those three hours of Good Friday had the last word, but no, the empty tomb does. Not even death can do an end to God, because Jesus rose from the dead."
Light, life, goodness and love, he says, will always have the last word.
"This is the day the Lord is made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it. He has risen as he said. Halleluiah," Dolan prayed.
The day was not complete without a little humor from the cardinal.
"You'd think I'd be so happy that we've got over 3,000 people at St. Patrick's Cathedral this morning. You'd think one Timothy Dolan would be happy, but I'm jealous one Timothy Tebow has 25,000 in Texas," he joked.
Cardinal Dolan spent Saturday delivering the traditional blessing of the food for Easter Sunday breakfast in the parish hall beneath the Church of St. Stanislaus.
"On this Holy Saturday we ask that You give us faith to relive Your presence among us during our Easter meals, on the Easter Sunday of Your victory, that we may rejoice in Your life and resurrection," he prayed.
What do you believe the message of Easter is? Let us know in the comments section below...
