Easter Sunday, 2024

Reflection for Easter Sunday

The Lord is risen.  Alleluia!  He is indeed risen.  Alleluia!

After forty long days of Lent, we come to the glorious Feast of Easter.  As I write this on Holy Saturday, I am looking forward to tonight’s Easter Vigil Liturgy when we will light the Easter Fire, hear the most beautiful piece of liturgical poetry ever written, the Exultet, listen to the wondrous story of our salvation, immerse ourselves in first Easter Gospel, receive the blessing of the Easter water, renew the vows of our Baptism, and receive Holy Communion, welcoming the risen Jesus into our hearts after His precious death and resurrection.  Perhaps in your parishes or cathedrals there will be individuals who will be baptized, received into the Catholic Church and receive their First Holy Communion and Confirmation. How blessed we are as Catholics to celebrate the feasts of our Faith with such beauty and devotion. Besides this, we are assured of Christ’s victory over sin, by which we receive the promise of our own resurrection and entrance into Heaven at the end of our earthly lives.  The Lord is risen. Alleluia!

Tomorrow at Mass we will hear another Easter Gospel describing the flush of incredulity then pure faith as Mary Magdalene, Peter and John visit the empty tomb, and for the next few weeks we will watch as Jesus inserts Himself once again into the lives of those who love Him. Listen to these Gospel stories as though for the first time.  Embrace the excitement, the wonder of the followers of Jesus in their encounters with Him that draw all of us closer to Him who is King of heaven and earth, Master of everything good, and Savior of all mankind.

We know how the story of Good Friday ends, so it’s easy to half-listen to the Easter stories so familiar to us. But look into the hearts of the apostles and the holy women who touched the risen Jesus. Enter their sometimes confused thoughts, their near despair, and the sudden growth in faith when Jesus patiently reaches into their souls and says, It is I, do not be afraid.  Trust that we are invited to stand with the disciples on the road to Emmaus as Jesus unlocks the scriptures for them, and sit with them at the inn at Emmaus. Watch Jesus take bread and wine and consecrate these simple gifts into His precious Body and Blood, which He distributes to them—and to us—to strengthen failing hearts.

What am I saying? I am inviting you to join me as active participants in the incredible Mystery of the resurrected Jesus as He walks with us on our journey of faith. Let us take some time to read and ponder the last chapters of each of the four Gospels—as for the first time.

I wish you a blessed Easter. Thank you for your prayers and for the witness of your faith. You inspire me, more than you know.

God bless you, and may your Easter be filled with many miracles of love.

The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia!