Happy Easter! The Resurrection of Jesus is the greatest and most important event in all of human history. Yet we put much more emphasis on Christmas and the birth of Jesus than on Easter and the resurrection of Jesus. That’s because it’s easier for us to identify with birth than with death or resurrection. We’ve all been born; but we’ve not yet died.
While the birth of Jesus opens the way for our own resurrection, it’s the Easter Resurrection of Jesus that inaugurates major blessings for us. Because of Easter, our sins can be forgiven; our suffering can be united to Jesus’ passion and death; our pilgrimage can be fed by the Eucharist; our destiny is sainthood. Because of Easter, our life has meaning; our desire to live forever is realized; our freedom is guaranteed; our faith, hope and love endure.
Beyond those major issues of life, our daily living is also influenced by the Resurrection of Jesus. Because of Easter, we pray for one another; we turn the other cheek; we forgive seventy times seven times; we feed the hungry and clothe the naked; we reach out to our neighbor and to those in need; we make peace in our families. Knowing that these are the effects of Easter, we are ready, even anxious, to celebrate the Lord’s resurrection and the offer of redeemed life He gives us.
May the Heart of the Resurrected Jesus bless you with happiness, health and holiness this Easter.
Fr. Ray Diesbourg, MSC