Alleluia! Christ is Risen. He has risen indeed. He has risen over sin and death, over darkness and gloom, over suffering, over betrayal, over loss, over grief, over anger, over lust, over power, and over every evil imaginable. This carries with it great hope and joy: Hope because his rising over these things is promised to us also. Joy because the promises of this world are nothing in comparison what we know is in store for us. Despite our best efforts, we can’t rise from the dead nor overcome its various manifestations on our own. We need God. New life is found in his ways, and it can be found here.
Please know that St. Mary’s is here for you to be that place of hope and joy that Jesus brings. If you haven’t joined us in a while, welcome back. If you’re a regular, great to see you again. If you’re visiting, welcome. If you’re in need of contact or want to know how to reach us, check the last page of the bulletin for our contact info and we would be happy to assist you in any way possible. All are welcome here! So spread this good news of the hope and joy that is found in Christ’s resurrection to your family and friends and to all.
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Just for fun - consider some of the symbols that we see in the season of Easter that remind us of his resurrection:
- Easter Egg: a symbol of the tomb, when broken open it gives new life! When you crack your egg, be sure to say ‘Christ is Risen!’ Consider cracking eggs with someone, make it a competition to see whose egg is stronger!
- Pussy willow: traditionally the first sign of spring as the bush is the first to push new life into its branches.
- Easter lily/flowers: after the dead of winter, the flowers open and give us the fragrance of life, and the flower itself is the source of new life, attracting bees to help new seeds/bulbs to form.
- Butterflies: After the caterpillar has given of itself, new life emerges and takes flight with bright colors and unbounded freedom
- Chocolate: the sweetness of resurrection is clear when we enjoy a treat or two – I encourage you to say Christ is Risen when you pop a chocolate during Easter!
- Easter basket: contains the new life of the open grave, sweets, treats, breads, sausage, eggs, ham – whatever you place in your basket is meant to be the feast giving us new life after our Lenten fasting.
Perhaps, we see these things in a new light? Do you have any traditions or symbols that speak to this in your family? How do you see new life manifesting itself all around you? Consider sharing some of these with our parish community. The Easter Season lasts for seven full weeks! Let’s make good use of them. Let’s allow the new life, hope and joy of the Resurrection to really propel us forward to the newness Jesus has in store for us all.
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Lastly, I want to take a moment here, once again, to thank everyone who helped make the Holy Week and Easter Triduum celebrations so meaningful and special for our parish community: the planners, the decorators, the musicians, the lectors, the ushers, the Eucharistic ministers, the clergy… and many more. A thank you to all who participated and joined with us! And all praise to God who is the reason for the season, and who continuously supplies his grace to us – Thank you Lord! Christ is Risen; He is Risen Indeed. Alleluia!
Peace
~Fr. Luke