Happy Easter

He is Risen! He is truly Risen!

Happy Easter everyone. There is no more important holiday in the Catholic Church than Easter. It is the reason we exist. Jesus died on Good Friday and, when the sabbath rest was over, his apostles went to anoint his body but it was not in the tomb. Instead, he later greeted them as risen from the dead. His death fulfilled the punishment that was given to Adam and Eve, that if they ate from the tree they would die. Death became a part of the human condition from then on, but not just physical death, a spiritual death that was capable of making people alienated from God. Prior to this, we were able to walk and talk with God in the garden and now sin had given us the possibility, not just of knowing good, but also of knowing evil. And what more evil is there than being forever distanced from God? It’s the worst kind of death there is. 

That’s why God had a plan, a plan even better than the highest budget film ever. What if God himself became a human being while remaining fully divine? Let’s send one of the person's of the trinity, for instance, the Son. If so, this God-man wouldn’t be capable of sinning, because God cannot defy his own rules and remain God. He’s not like human beings who break our own rules all the time. No, he’s a person of integrity, he makes the rules and lives by them. But, what if we have him judged guilty of all the sin of human beings ever, original sin and personal? What if, instead of trying to fight the devil in a battle to end all battles, we have this God-man die a painful death even as he literally embodies the very notion of sin, being completely distanced from God? What if, despite his real death, he shows that death, itself, is a creature that will pass away? To do that, he would have to show to the world that he was dead but has come back to life. 

This is the power of the Resurrection of Jesus. It’s worth reflecting upon more in depth so let’s extend this Easter celebration by seven weeks. That’s right, for the next seven weeks, for fifty days, we’ll reflect on the meaning of Jesus' resurrection. We’ve spent 40 Lenten days reflecting on the nature of sin and how to remove it, now it’s time to reflect on the nature of the resurrection. What does that mean? What if, in place of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, we focus on what it means to be part of the church? What if we focus on entering into the new life of Christ through the Eucharist, his real presence and the very thing he gave us to eat so we could enter into his death and resurrection? What if we talk to one person about how excited and hopeful Jesus’ resurrection makes us, that Easter isn't about candy and eggs and rabbits but is entirely about faith, hope, and love?