Happy Easter, Friends!!!
I heard a story from one of our moms the other day. She said her daughter was surprised to learn how long the Easter Season lasts. She said, “Easter lasts for fifty days?” Her mom replied, “Yes. We fast for forty days and feast for fifty.” And, of course, her daughter concluded, “That means I can have candy and unlimited Instagram for fifty days, right?” Mom tried to encourage some restraint, “Um, no. Not at all.” The young girl said, “It’s not much of a feast if everything just goes back to normal.”
Her daughter is probably right. Every year, Lent is hard. Winter is long, and everywhere we are surrounded by dead and dormant things. During Lent, we wait and we work, we deny ourselves, do our duty, and surrender our desires. Every year, it seems like it will last forever, and every year we long for spring. As we respond to the beauty and the new life of spring, we are tempted to give up our Lenten growth.
Throughout Lent, we pray and we work, and slowly, we watch winter give way to spring. I noticed some of the flowering trees have begun to blossom, the crocuses always unfurl early, and other spring flowers are not far behind. Grass shoots are emerging while songbirds return to the feeders. My friendly sparrows are checking out corners around the condo to claim that space for their nest. Spring emerges as Lent fades, and during this changing time, we awaken to the rhythm of the world. The truth of that rhythm is the cyclical liturgies of our lives are mirrors into the universal story of transformation: winter into spring, fasting into feasting, death into life, drudgery into reward, repentance into restoration, and back again. We are lucky to live in the Northern Hemisphere, where the liturgical seasons and nature’s seasons match.
After forty days of fasting, the feasting has come. Jesus is risen! Christus resurrexit! Is one day enough? Surely, it is not. “It’s not much of a feast if everything just goes back to normal.” We worked so hard during Lent, what will you do for Easter? How will you honor the amazing grace of resurrection? Hopefully, you are Christians who want to be with Christ after he rose and not just during the Lenten time of preparation. Certainly, go out and enjoy the beauty of the world God has given us, but do not forget the giver as you enjoy it.
Christ’s great work is “to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven.” In God’s great mercy, the reconciliation of all things includes our regular workdays and the not so special ordinariness of caring for home and lawn. After Easter, something transformational has fallen into place. Spring thrives, life flourishes, and the mundane shines with the reflected glory of the cross and the empty tomb.
As we did in Lent, we should do in the Easter Season but animated by joy and hope. We stay the course. We work and we pray. The ordinary becomes extraordinary. We continue in the habits that orient us to fulfill our discipleship call with faithfulness and excellence, but with spring in our steps and joy in our hearts. After Easter, we see it all in the light of God’s reconciliation with the human family he loves.
Peace,
Fr. Damian