++ Easter Message++

From Anne-Louise DePalo

EASTER SUNDAY REFLECTION

“I shall not die but live and shall declare the works of the Lord.” Psalm 118:18

A Blessed Resurrection Day to all! Easter is finally here. The word Easter is of an unknown origin. Venerable Saint Bede in the eighth century said it was derived from Eostre or Eostrae, the Anglo-Saxon word for goddess of spring and fertility. Easter flowers, Easter bunnies, and eggs are all a celebration of rebirth, regrowth, and fertility. We are an Easter people and it is time for great joy!

How was your Lent and Holy week? Are you ready and prepared for rebirth and spiritual growth? Has your prayer, fasting, and almsgiving nurtured your body and soul so that seeds of faith, love, and charity can grow? Have you grown closer to Christ? This is the purpose of Lent. Now we celebrate Easter, and not only Easter Sunday itself but we celebrate the entire Easter season. Easter is 50 days – the longest liturgical season on the calendar. Fifty days to celebrate, enjoy, love, and praise. How I love our faith and traditions!

What are we celebrating? New life. The readings of Lent and our Lenten practices ask us to confront “death”. Jesus describes Jarius’s daughter as only sleeping before he brings her back to life. Lazarus was dead and buried in a tomb. Christ rose him from the dead and had him leave the tomb, untying him and freeing him from the chains of sin, death, and this world.

It is said one cannot truly live unless they confront their own death. What is death? The catechism tells us it is the separation of the body and soul. Death, however, does not have the last word. Our souls are eternal.

Paradoxically, we can be dead while we are alive. If we do not have Christ’s love and grace, and we are not in communion with Him, we are as dead as Lazarus. Without Christ’s “life” within us, we are the walking dead among the living.

If you are full of anxiety, sadness, and despair, have no joy, and are fearful, you need a resurrection. Christ came to bring us life and to overcome sin (that which takes us away from life) by His death on the cross. If you truly believe, you will be able to say, “Death, be not proud,” as the poet John Donne proclaimed.

Christ is the victor over sin and death – if you do not embrace this truth, you will have no life in you. Death cannot touch our eternal souls, and that is what we celebrate today and in the next 50 days. Mediate on the words of John Donne:

“One short sleep past, we wake eternally,
and death shall be no more;
death shall die.”

If you have never seen “Death, Be Not Proud” a 1975 movie based on John Gunther’s book about his battle with a brain tumor starring Robbie Benson, Arthur Hill, and Jean Alexander, I highly recommend it. It portrays a teenage boy’s struggle with illness, death, and making the most of the time he had left. He continued to love and had concern for those around him, particularly his parents. It left an indelible impression on me when I first watched it when I was young; and as I have grown in faith, lost loved ones, and grown older it has more meaning than ever.

What I have learned is this: I desire to celebrate and embrace life and give life to others. That is what Peter tells Jesus’ followers in the first reading in Acts 10:42, “and He commanded us to preach to the people that it is He who was appointed by God.” This is so all may have life. This is our faith. This is our role as disciples of Christ. To love God and others and be life-givers.

Perhaps Francis Gunther said it best when writing about the loss of her son said, “I wish we had loved Johnny more when he was alive.”

Who can you love and celebrate today? To life!

++ PALM SUNDAY ++

REFLECTION FOR April 9, 2023

ARE YOU OPEN?

“Morning after morning he wakens my ear as to hear as disciples do, I did not refuse, I have not turned back” Isaiah 50:4-5

This reading from Isaiah prepares us for Holy Week. It also asks us to begin to walk with Jesus on the way to the cross. Have you stood firm during Lent? Lent can be difficult and as “believers,” run to Church to get their palms today, there can be a false sense of celebration and thinking that the worst is over. As we follow Jesus into Jerusalem at the height of his popularity, we know what is coming as did He. He went anyway. He did not turn back. Will we?

During Lent we may have had our missteps. Maybe we did not get to mass every day as we hoped, or we did not live up to our “pledge” to say the rosary every day or not eat chocolate. What is important is the effort made and not losing sight of why we were doing it– to grow in holiness and become more like Christ and developing our own personal relationship with Him. What is holiness? Conforming our will to God’s will. Jesus shows us not only how to do this but to do it with love.

Palm Sunday is so much more than getting palms. We hear the passion narrative every year. Try and listen as if you were hearing it for the first time. It has something different to say to us each time we read it. Where you are in your life, the experiences you have had, losses you have suffered, the joys, and where you are in your spiritual life will affect what you take away from the reading. God invites us to enter into the scene and to “hear” so our hearts and minds are touched and forever changed. The Word is alive, and the Word is Christ. Are your ears open?
Every spiritual master counsels us that prayer is talking to and being with God and just showing up every day is what really matters and is most important. As we pray each day, we become more and more awakened to His voice and direction. This is how disciples are made.

I love the series, The Chosen, because it beautifully portrays Jesus’s humanity and relationship with each of His disciples. They came to know and love Him. If you have not watched this series, please do. You will see how much Jesus loved those he encountered and how they grew to love Him. His mercy, compassion, and how he delights in us is apparent in the stories portrayed. You cannot love or have intimacy with someone you do not know.

Wave your palms, sing Hosanna, and follow Him to Calvary, proclaiming, “Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” 2nd Phil 2:11 Amen.