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March 30, 2024“We are an Easter People and Alleluia is our song!” Those words spoken by St. John Paul II ought to always be on our mind. Yet for one reason or another, many Catholics prefer the season of Lent to Easter. I don’t know the exact reason; maybe it’s the Lenten disciplines or certain devotionals or maybe it’s the simple fact that there are more community engagements during Lent. We may find life in the desert easier because there are clear standards (pray, fast, almsgiving), a clear end date (Easter) and there are clear expectations (prepare for Easter). Let’s look at it another way; Lent is a lot like training for an athletic event. To compete, you must train. Training may be difficult, the drills may seem repetitive, but we know what to expect (for the most part). However, we do not join a team just to train, we train to win. Practice is not scary, games can be.
Now this is not a perfect analogy for one big reason. Unlike sports, when it comes to our faith, the victory has already been won. However, when we encounter the empty tomb, like the first disciples, we may be feeling a lot of emotions, including uncertainty: what comes next? Easter is a joyful season wherein we celebrate the reality that Christ has conquered death. This can be scary because once we acknowledge what Christ has done for us we must acknowledge that this demands a response on the part of believers. There is a tension of being joyful while still going out and fulfilling the demands of our faith that include picking up our crosses. Returning to the sports analogy, this is why we need to remember that we are part of a team, the Church. When times are difficult, we ought to lean on one another, trusting that we all have the best interests of one another, because we are all seeking the same goal, holiness.
As we seek to become more holy, we stumble at times on the journey, and it may be easy to look at one another, or look at the saints, and think to ourselves that we can never achieve what they have in their life. I am reminded of what Jack Gohlke, the guard for Oakland basketball said after his team upset the Kentucky Wildcats, “I know [Kentucky] have draft picks and I know I’m not going to the NBA, but I know, on any given night, I can compete with those guys and our team can compete with those types of guys.” On any given day, we can make the decision to love more, and to live more in accordance with the will of God. Let’s think about that as we begin our Easter celebration and maintain the joy we feel today and throughout the season!
In Christ,
Fr. Chris