My dear Derebail Parishioners, greetings and wishes to all of you. Wish you all a Happy, Joyful, Hope filled and lively Easter. May the Risen Lord bless you all with His choicest blessings; May He fill you with new hope, new energy and liveliness.

Spiritual Blessings: We lived a month brimming with spiritual graces and blessings. The myriad spiritual activities we celebrated in the season of Lent were a showcase of our parish unity, dynamism, and collaborated hard work. May the Holy Redeemer be praised. May these spiritual endeavors bear abundant fruits bringing peace, joy, happiness individually and very powerfully in our families.

Easter as Passover

Passover for the Jews is a major, seven-day feast that commemorates the Jewish people's harrowing Exodus from Egyptian slavery to freedom. The Lord passed over his people and liberated them from slavery, death, and final damnation. Easter is considered by Christians as a new Passover. Through His saving work, Christ becomes our Passover (pascha in Greek). Through Him, we experience liberation from sin, death, and the devil. St. Paul exclaims, “Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us. Therefore let us keep the feast.” (1 Corinthians 5:7-8). He is the paschal Lamb (Isaiah 53:7; John 1:29; Revelations 5:6-14) who gave Himself up in sacrifice “once and for all” (Hebrews 10:10-14) to reconcile us with God. At every Pascha (Easter) the Church sings: “Today a sacred Pascha is revealed to us, a new and holy Pascha, a mystical Pascha, a Pascha worthy of veneration, a Pascha which is Christ the Redeemer.” The feast Easter In nearly all Romance languages, is derived from the Latin Pascha. In Spanish, Easter is Pascua, in Italian and Catalan Pasqua, in Portuguese Páscoa and in Romanian Paşti. In French, the name of Easter is Pâques. Albanian language borrows the Latin Pascha as Pashka. Similarly, Filipino language has adopted the Spanish term into Pasko. Thus in Konkani we have Pasch - Paskam Fest -. It is a new Passover where we are passing over from death to life, from darkness to light, from sorrow to joy and from despair towards Hope. May this Easter be a real passing over from darkness to light from despair to hope.

Easter a New Life: The association of eggs with Easter is very ancient and the origins are not clear. But eggs - and rabbits - are thought to be symbols of new life at springtime and Easter is the celebration of Jesus' resurrection and the new life or fresh start that people receive when they become Christians. May Easter bring new life in our families, Parish, and society at large. Let us all experience newness of life in Jesus.

We are to be Resurrection people: Easter, the feast of the Resurrection, gives us the joyful message that we are a “Resurrection people.” This means that we are not supposed to lie buried in the tomb of our sins, evil habits, and dangerous addictions. It gives us the Good News that no tombs can hold us down any longer - not the tombs of despair, discouragement, doubt, or death itself. Instead, we are expected to live a joyful and peaceful life, constantly experiencing the real Presence of the Risen Lord in all the events of our lives. “This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad” (Ps 118:24).

Save Water: The month of April announces to be Hot and scorching. The water scarcity is almost palpable. Yes, we need to be aware of the responsible and judicious usage of the water in our homes and public places. We need to teach our children that water is the best and greatest gifts of God and we have the responsibility to conserve water and use it with carefulness and conscientiousness. Let us try to save water as much as possible. Let us take concrete measures in our homes and vicinities to save water.

The Holiday Time: Some of our kids have finished their annual exams and they need time to rest, relax and enjoy. In the same vein, I invite the parents and elders to see that our kids attend Sunday Mass without fail. Let us not give miniscule excuses for absenting from Sunday Mass, and if possible encourage children to attend daily Mass either in the morning or evening. Let us also encourage our children to attend various holiday camps held in our diocese and parish.

The General Elections: Our country is going to have general elections and we have the responsibility to exercise our voting rights. Let us not shirk from this responsibility. Let us pray that the election process goes on well and our country gets the best and noble leaders.

Easter Poem

The day of resurrection!
Earth, tell it out abroad the Passover of gladness,
the Passover of God.
From death to life eternal,
from earth unto the sky,
our Christ hath brought us over,
with hymns of victory.
Now let the heavens be joyful!
Let earth the song begin!
Let the round world keep triumph,
and all that is therein!
Let all things seen and unseen
their notes in gladness blend,
for Christ the Lord hath risen,
our joy that hath no end.

- St. John of Damascus

Rev. Fr Joseph Martis

Parish Priest