A Shepherd's Message - April 28, 2026

In this message, Archbishop Joe S. Vásquez shares some of the reflections he delivered in his homily during the Easter Vigil Mass on April 6 at the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart. 

Brothers and sisters, happy Easter.  

The Gospel for the Easter Vigil reads:  
On Good Friday, the Gospel ended with the death of Jesus. He is laid in a tomb. The disciples’ dreams were destroyed. After the crucifixion, all their hopes seemed to be gone. But death is not the end. God overcomes the darknesses of death and sin and brings new life in His Son–Jesus Christ. 

The resurrection of Christ is a new beginning, something we could never have imagined. God is offering all of us new life. Only through the risen Christ can we live in a new way. The resurrection of Christ not only restores the relationship between God and humanity, but it raises it up to a new level. Through Jesus Christ, this relationship can never be severed. He gives us eternal life because he is life itself. 

In the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, at the center stands the baptismal font, it is octagonal in shape. It is placed there to stress the intimate connection between Baptism and Eucharist. From the waters of Baptism, we move to the Altar to receive the Body of Christ.

If you ever have time, walk around that baptismal font. Its eight sides represent creation. In Genesis, we read that God created the world in six days and He rests on the seventh day. The eighth day is the day of resurrection when in Christ, the Risen Lord, we become a new creation. The font’s panels also feature different scenes in the Bible, plated in bronze, that show how God saves His people. One of them is the resurrection of Jesus.

The inside of that font is fashioned in black granite with a gold cross at the very center. The black granite symbolizes that as we enter the waters of Baptism, we die to sin. It represents dying. As we come out of the waters in Baptism, the gold cross signifies Christ’s triumph over sin and death. We are reborn to a new life in Christ. 

The new life that we have as Christians is through Baptism. Every one of us must be baptized. That’s the only way we begin to live the life of Christ. The pope, the bishops, men and women religious, deacons, priests, lay people, all of us enter the same waters.

That’s the only way we can begin to live the life of Christ. We were indeed buried with Him. 
St. Paul tells: 


Easter is the celebration of the immense love of Jesus Christ for all of us. He is the light that conquers darkness, the hope that overcomes despair, and the life that rises from the dead.