March 31, 2024
I nearly ruined Easter Sunday when I was 14-years-old. I don’t recall what the circumstances were, but I am sure I either started a fight with my brother or copped an attitude with my parents about attending Mass. Thus, we Jaspers all went to Church angry that morning and there was very little joy in the fifth pew on the left (“our” pew – you know we all have them!).
Now I would like to claim that being at Mass that morning changed things: that I asked for forgiveness at the Sign of Peace or that receiving Eucharist made us forget all about my earlier outburst. It didn’t. To be honest, I don’t think I even made an effort to offer a hand to my parents or those around me, and even later at Easter dinner, barely said two words. In my self-centeredness, I blocked the grace that our Lord is always willing to offer us.
Looking back on that time now, though, I see that the love of Christ was still at work in many ways. My Mom prepared a fantastic meal and fed me, even though I ignored her all day. My Dad and brother carried on the conversation with our invited relatives so that they were not made to feel uncomfortable. My grandmother still hugged me and whispered she loved me as she left that night, knowing what a miserable brat I was being that day.
Perhaps, then, this is the daily miracle of Easter: that little moments of Resurrection happen every time we choose love over hate and put others first. Resurrection happens when we see beyond the emotional outbursts and brokenness in order to embrace the heart of the person who stands before us. British writer and mystic Caryll Houselander said it best: Resurrection happens when “we love the Christ in one another with Christ’s love in us.”
Gratefully, my family taught me a lot about Resurrection along the way.
Even if our Easter celebrations are less than perfect this year, may we keep seeking those little Resurrection moments and offer them to others when the opportunities arise.
From our Immaculate Conception/St. Jude family to yours, many blessings of love and peace in this holy season ahead …