The Church sets aside 50 days to celebrate the miracle of Easter, and I've always wondered about why they do this. In fact it's human beings who need the time to look at the miracle of the resurrection and start to understand it as it pertains to us. When we're little children, Easter is all about chocolate, Easter egg hunts and holidays from school, but as we grow into adulthood and take on the responsibility of families of our own, our understanding of this season changes - that's a good thing.
Easter is about resurrection. It's about the story of a man who we believe overcame the power of death (something none of us is able to do on our own). In fact, death takes on a completely different meaning when we see it as an invitation to life. Human beings who see death as a defeat or as an end to life often are afraid of its finality, but those who see it as an invitation to life can tend to be comforted by the knowledge that there's something else to go to - new life.
At times such as Christmas and Easter, I am drawn to the reality of death. Perhaps this seems strange at first glance, but it seems to make sense in the light of new life that is celebrated at the time of Christ's birth and His resurrection. Easter then becomes one of the times in the year when we are reminded that much of the violence that seems to be all around us is not the final word on the subject. Instead, there is hope of a new life yet to come.
For more on this subject, listen to or read the text of my homily for today.
1 comment:
It is only recently that I have come to appreciate how closely Christmas and Easter are related. As you have pointed out, both are occasions of new life. Christmas and Easter, as well as the sacrifice of the Mass, are fruitful only to the extent that we invest of ourselves. In turn, as a result, we are replenished with new life.
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