What are you doing in keeping the light of the Resurrection shining in your community? One of the great symbols of Easter is light. In fact the Easter Candle that we light at the beginning of the Easter Vigil celebration represents the Risen Christ as the “Light of the World.” 

As a hospital priest-chaplain at St. Michael’s Hospital, I am part of the interdisciplinary teams attending to the physical, emotional and spiritual wellbeing of patients and their families. From my experience, I can describe the hospital community as a place where our work always keeps the light of the Resurrection shining in the community. When you visit your loved one at St. Michael’s Hospital, you see nurses, physicians, pharmacists and other staff members, the physiotherapists, occupational therapists, social workers and spiritual care providers (formerly known as chaplains). However, there are also teams like porters, unit clericals, environmental assistants, security, volunteers and other staff members that contribute to the comprehensive care for the patients.  

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Every day each staff member diligently plays his or her unique role in serving the community. There was one very cold and snowy winter morning, when many other workers across the city stayed home. Yet, the hospital staff came to work to care for the patients entrusted to their care. On that day, I encountered Judy, an intensive care nurse telling me that she drove for a couple of hours to come to work. She said she had decided to come to work because she described it as life-giving. On another occasion, I encountered Dr. Johnson a surgeon who had come to visit Joseph, a patient preparing for a major surgery. Dr. Johnson was kind and he gently explained everything about the surgery to Joseph. After the visit, Joseph shared with me that the surgeon’s visit had brought him some “hope, calmness and peace of mind.”  

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Hospitals across the country try very hard to care for all the patients that they have. Just like all these other hospitals the staff at St. Michael’s do all they can to treat the sick. The mission of St. Michael’s Hospital is based on a particular set of values: human dignity, compassion, excellence, community and inclusivity. Our work is guided by these values. These values are also based on Biblical teachings about life exemplified by Jesus who showed us how to care for the sick and the dying. 

The Palliative Care Unit  (PCU) is also a very important dimension of our care to the dying. The PCU serves patients who are already at St. Michael’s Hospital but need to be transferred to the unit. However, the hospital also serves patients who are coming directly for palliative care. The PCU offers the patients a peaceful and supportive environment as they receive comfort measures including pain management and spiritual care. 

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Our Lenten journey came to an end with the celebration of the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ from the dead. As baptized people who have been given a new life in Christ (see Col. 3:1-4), every year, our Easter celebration reminds us to keep the light of the Resurrected Christ shining brightly in our communities. Perhaps we can use this time to reflect and to recognize the many different ways and situations in which we can generously serve in our communities faithfully.  

I have used the activities of the staff at St. Michael’s Hospital as a model of a community in which the light of Christ is shining even in the darkness of pain, suffering and death. Our care and concern for the sick symbolizes the compassionate presence of our God in our midst. The collaborative work at St. Michael’s Hospital is an example of what we call Christian witness — witness to the Resurrection of Christ. As people of the Resurrection, through our dedication and selfless care, the love of God and the generosity of the Spirit are revealed in our communities. When we strive to show concern for the other, we enrich our lives and the lives of others. Serving others builds our communities. Our service is reflected in what the late Pope Francis told us in his Easter Vigil homily on April 19, 2025. He wrote, “The light of the Resurrection illumines our path one step at a time breaking through the darkness of history and shining in our hearts.”