Let your faith go beyond Easter

Happy Easter to all followers of Jesus Christ!

On our Lenten journey, we have experienced Jesus’ love for us by His suffering, passion and death. Today, we celebrate His Resurrection from the dead for us to give us the hope of new life. Mary Magdalene was the one who found the empty tomb. Angels could have come to the women in their homes, but they had to make the sorrowful walk to the tomb and see for themselves that it was empty. They had to experience the surprise, the shock, and then the alarm when the angel appeared to them.

God does not eliminate our need for learning and perceiving stepby-step. No sooner have they understood that Jesus has been raised, than they are given the crucial task to taking this news to the disciples. We see the love, beauty, faith, hope and bravery of these women, who did not run in panic, but stood their ground and listened to God’s message and did their Easter task!

Easter calls each one of us to deepen our own intimate love for Jesus and to go live, act and do our faith. We renew our baptismal promises this day asking for the resolve and courage to go and live our faith in word and deed. Even to go forth in spring time joy and hope as we live the fact that this is the day the Lord has made let us go forth and rejoice in it!

We must live differently now that Christ is RISEN. St. Paul states that we must now “seek what is above and clear out the old yeast and become a fresh batch of dough.” By our baptism we are united with Christ and the entire past history, good and bad, of our Catholic Church all call us to share in the common priesthood of all believers.

We are called to continue the message of the First Easter and go and bring peace, as witnesses of the Risen Lord, Jesus.

Jesus, like an opening bud, comes out of his tomb. Mary goes and tells the disciples the tomb is empty and they run to the tomb and the garden of their hearts is moved and they believed. They believed, even though they did not yet understand what it meant to rise from the dead.

This is the day and season to reflect on the return of life and how the Gospel of Easter and springtime can unfold for us. What is the great blossoming needed in us? The Easter Egg has to give of itself to allow us the words and message of the Gospel to be read, reflected and acted upon, just as the chocolate candy has to be unwrapped to be eaten and enjoyed. A real egg has to have the shell broken.

So, we too on Easter need to be pulled out of ourselves and bring joy, peace, love and hope to those around us as we live Gospel Values. We must trust the Risen Lord and come out of our winter tombs and shells, and rise to a new spring time of life.

As the caterpillar becomes a butterfly, coming forth from the cocoon, so we have been given the time of Lent to come forth in new life this Easter. Scientists have some information on how the caterpillar changes but to open the cocoon at critical moments aborts the transformation, so the process remains mysterious and hidden.

Yet, caterpillars fearlessly proceed to spin their own cocoons in hope and trust. So, too must Christians do the same each Easter as we trust in the Father and live the example of the Son in the Spirit of hope, we will come to new life. May the spirituality of Easter and spring bring about a renewal in your personal life. May faith be continued, in your Easter and spring words and deeds!