Happy Easter!
 
We have made it through the long forty days of Lent, through the commemoration of the Lord’s supper, and Jesus’s passion and death to Easter!  “Let us rejoice and be glad” as the psalms tells us. 
 
And yet, today’s Gospel fails almost completely to convey that sense of joy.  It’s still dark when Mary goes to the tomb.  Seeing the stone removed, she leaps to the worst-case scenario; and who can really blame her?  She has just seen Jesus, her friend, suffer and die; it hardly seems outside of the realm of possibility that “they” would have taken his body away as well. 
 
The disciples too, seem suspended in uncertainty and confusion.  They race to the tomb, but stop just short of going in.  When the finally do go in, they aren’t certain what they are seeing.  Jesus’ death were disturbing enough.  Could this man, the one whom had they believed to be the anointed one of God really have been killed in this violent and ignominious way?  It’s no wonder that Mary and the disciples meet the empty tomb with fear and confusion rather than joy and hope. 
 
And, yet somehow, I find this confusion to be deeply comforting.  Because isn’t this how we often encounter the resurrected Christ in our own lives? Resurrection is always unexpected; always so new as to be confounding and astonishing.  It usually takes time and reflection to recognize new life in our midst. 
 
So, “let us rejoice and be glad!”  Even if it is still a bit dark out and doesn’t quite look like Easter yet.  Even if things seem chaotic and confusing.  Even if, we with the disciple do not yet understand, let us with him, look and see and believe. 
 
Happy Easter!

Holy Saturday is a day when we remember Jesus in the tomb. It is almost like a day of mourning. Yet there is an expectancy because we know that Easter is coming. The day is often a preparation for church and family celebrations of the Resurrection.

Not everyone attends, but Holy Saturday Evening invites us to celebrate the Easter Vigil. If one meditates on the liturgical texts for that night, it is sheer poetry, which invites us into the Easter Season.

The Easter Vigil begin with the lighting of the Paschal candle. There is the joyful and ebullient hymn called the “Exultet.” (“Let us rejoice!”) We proceed to the darkened church with lit candles. There are nine readings to help us meditate on salvation history. The lights go on, and our candles are extinguished as the altar candles are lit. The bells are rung. After the reading from St. Paul, we stand for the Gospel, which is, of course the Resurrection narrative.

​After the homily, it is pure celebration as new Catholics receive the Sacraments of Initiation. We all join them as we renew our Baptismal promises and receive the Eucharist. We leave the Church singing Alleluia and, hopefully, continue to do so in the Easter Season, which is fifty days long. Like the flowers in church, there is a freshness in our hearts, which bursts with new light and restored hope.

He was born into humble means and had to borrow an animal’s feeding trough with hay to be laid in. It was wise men from far away lands who knew his worth and sacrifice. He was innocent, living in an occupied land doing His Father’s plan. By speaking truth to power in the hopes of returning spiritual freedom to those caught in the spiritual wilderness, he was betrayed, beaten, spit upon, and forced to carry his death device. Hot, humiliated, through blood, sweat, and tears, he carried the weight of the sins of the entire world. Yet, even when he walked, crawled, and stumbled upon the stony road toward his death, he continued to minister to the men, women, and children who saw him. He endured and through the strength that came from his heavenly father, each bloodied step was made to his eventual humanly end…and our spiritual rebirth.

Over two thousand years later, we are still reaping the benefits of this sacrificial lamb who willingly gave his life for us. How do we repay this sacrifice? We treat each other like commodities. We are cruel just because we can. We hide behind unjust laws to break up families and disappear people from the street. We make deals with the devils of this world for profit and short-term gains. We become the ugly, bloodied, bruised scars Christ endured on our behalf.

Christ has redeemed us through his sacrifice. His very death made us whole with God once again. It is incumbent on us to honor that holy scapegoat properly. We are called as the people of God to love one another. Not love one another except… we are called to love one another, period. We are called to be brothers and sisters in this body of Christ. We must embody Christ's strength to serve God and one another.

Today begins the Triduum, the three most sacred days in the liturgical year.  On this Holy Thursday, we recall the institution of the Eucharist and the priesthood at the Last Supper, the washing of the disciples’ feet, Jesus’ prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane, and His betrayal and arrest. Throughout all of these events, Jesus remains a humble servant of God (a theme we hear about earlier this week as well). 

Tonight, Jesus celebrates the Last Supper with the disciples, knowing that one of them will betray him. All were welcome at His table. During the meal, Jesus bowed down and washed their feet, which had walked through the dusty, dry, desert heat. This was a physically unpleasant task so humiliating it was not even asked of the lowest of servants. Jesus does it willingly as an example of how to treat others. 

After dinner, Jesus prays in the Garden of Gethsemane, where He asks God to take away the suffering He is about to experience. However, as a true servant of God, Jesus ultimately accepts it, saying, “Not my will, but Yours be done” (Luke 22:42). 

It can be challenging to follow the example of Jesus and be humble servants of God. During these next few days, when a difficult family member or someone who has hurt us walks through the door, will we welcome them to the table? Will we serve them with love, even when it’s uncomfortable? Will we humbly do the hard or unseen work to prepare our homes and hearts for Easter? Will we stay faithful, as Jesus did, even when the path ahead is uncertain or painful?

​This Triduum, may we seek to serve as Jesus served and to love as Jesus loved.

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​Storytelling is our natural language. We all respond to stories, because they open our hearts to life and love.
 
Palm Sunday is filled with stories. In fact, Palm Sunday is the only day where we hear about Jesus’ happy entry into Jerusalem, adored by huge crowds, and we hear the Passion story of Jesus’ suffering and death.
 
The first story begins with Jesus coming into Jerusalem, and when people saw Him, they cheered for Him, treated Him like a star and praised God “aloud with joy.” Imagine yourself as Jesus, being recognized and cheered by a huge crowd. It would be easy to feel that was the best day of your life!
 
Then, the story changes. Jesus knew that He was going to suffer greatly. He was truly human and he must have been scared. He prayed, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup away from me; still, not my will but yours be done”. Imagine how frightened you would be. Imagine the courage you would receive by turning to God.
 
And through prayer, the strength of Jesus as truly God allowed Him to meet the challenge. He saw his friend Judas turn him over to the authorities. He saw his friend Peter deny three times that he even knew Jesus. Imagine how hurt you would feel if your friends did that. And then the crowds of people who claimed that they loved Jesus turned against him. Imagine how betrayed you would feel.
 
Yet Jesus pressed on, He carried His heavy Cross. Jesus was crucified, He hung on the Cross for three long hours, and finally said, “Father, into your hands I commend my Spirit.” Imagine loving humanity that much, to die for others, showing us how to live and love!
 
The Palm Sunday stories begin in joy and end in sorrow. We know, though, that there’s a great story – the best story ever – that we’ll hear on Easter. Until then, have a blessed Holy Week.