This Side Of Easter: A Journey Of Reflection And Renewal

“Now let the heavens be joyful; let earth her song begin;
Let the round world keep triumph, and all that is therein!
Let all things seen and unseen their notes of gladness blend,
For Christ the Lord hath risen, our Joy that hath no end!”
– St. John of Damascus

The Highest Holy Day in the Catholic year has come and gone once again. The sadness of the last two days has been replaced with rejoicing…the Alleluia is back in our Liturgy and the images uncovered. Christ is triumphant!

So now what? This is a great time to look back and reflect on the entire season to stir our souls.

The Beginning: Into the Desert

The season of Lent is meant to take us into the desert with Jesus to both identify with, and become more like, him. We enter a somber period of prayer, fasting and almsgiving. Stripped bare of some of our favorite comforts, this is a great time to “soul check” our motivations as we prepare for Christ’s death and resurrection. Is Christ our life or is church just something we do?

Beginnings are always hard and Lent is no exception to this. Far more than giving up chocolate or social media, it begs us to give up vice and replace it with virtue. Struggling with anger? Ask the Lord to help you with meekness. Greed? Work on generosity. Pride? Pray the Litany of Humility!

Holy Week

Now that we are beyond the “back 9” of Lent, the anticipation builds. On this side of the very first Easter story, we are blessed to know what is coming. The spiritual growth comes in when we forgo that knowledge, instead opting to put ourselves in that very first Holy Week. Who will you walk with and where will it take you? Will you go to the foot of the cross or will you be found outside denying Jesus?

Walking with Our Lady of Sorrows

Walking with Our Blessed Mother through Holy Week is a difficult one-especially if you are a mother yourself. If you have ever watched your own child suffer, the devotion to Our Lady of Sorrows is one that will be particularly meaningful. Under this title, my relationship with her has drawn me incredibly close to her divine Son. Every Friday during Lent, we bring her flowers. Flowers out of love for her as our mother; flowers for our sins that caused her pierced heart.

As she walks through Holy Week, walk alongside of her…feel her joy and her pain. Jesus triumphantly enters Jerusalem during Palm Sunday to a crowd of adorers. On this side of Easter we know that just days later they will be screaming “crucify him!” A criminal is released in his place. How fitting is that for the entire message of the Gospel?

Holy Thursday

As we go through the beauty of Holy Thursday and commemorate the Last Supper, the institution of the Eucharist and the priesthood, sit with her again. Feel her love for her Son radiating out.

That same evening, before the Passover meal is even finished, Jesus will need to go away to pray. As he heads into the garden, he has one thing on his mind: prayer. Suffering is coming; death is knocking at the door. The joyful bells are replaced by the solemn crotalus in the Liturgy. Hear the beating of the hammer on nails piercing the beautiful body of our beloved Savior. Imagine his anguish in that garden…his sweat giving way to blood. Precious blood. Blood that will be shed for us…blood that will save us.

On this side of Easter, the blood that is in our chalice at Mass.

Good Friday

Sit with her on this day as you go through the final Stations of the Cross for the year. TODAY IS THE DAY! Feel her heart break as they beat her Son and Lord beyond recognition. Feel her anguish as she stands at the foot of the cross with only a few people around her…where are the rest of the Disciples? I hear her mourning as they remove him from the cross and hand her his blood drenched body as my own heart cries out, “somebody comfort her!”

On this side of Easter, recognize who she is and what her pain was. Don’t just take her “out of the box” to acknowledge only at Christmas and Easter. Don’t just see her as a “birth vessel.” Don’t dismiss her and say God could have found someone else if she said no…meditate on the Immaculate Conception. Walk with her through the year.

Holy Saturday

Sit in silence as the whole world sits in silence. It appears death, and thereby the devil, has won. Christ has descended into hell on this day to rescue those “who sit in the darkness and shadow of death.” How is Our Lady feeling on this day? Is her heart full of hope?

Resurrection Sunday (Easter)

The church is decked out in all her splendor to celebrate the rising of her Lord! Unspeakable joy fills the heart of Our Blessed Mother, the Disciples and us: “we are an Easter people and Alleluia is our song!” Death has been defeated and our rescue assured!

On this side of Easter, as we waged our own spiritual battle in the desert of Lent, don’t lose the steam that those 40 days gave us. Continue to work on living a life of virtue…continue with the spiritual practices you picked up during Lent…continue to “look” for the risen Jesus in every person, situation and day that you encounter!

On this side of Easter, we go out to proclaim the Good News to the world by word and by deed. Alleluia! He is Risen! Christ is Risen Indeed!