Weekly Catholic Bible Study

Oratory of Divine Love Reflection 774: Easter Joy (1 Corinthians 3 : Acts 10 : 34a, 37-43)

 

[1 Corinthians]

Brothers and sisters: If then you were raised with Christ, seek what is above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Think of what is above, not of what is on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ your life appears, then you too will appear with him in glory.

 

[Acts]

Peter proceeded to speak and said: “You know what has happened all over Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached, how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power. He went about doing good and healing all those oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. We are witnesses of all that he did both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree. This man God raised on the third day and granted that he be visible, not to all the people, but to us, the witnesses chosen by God in advance, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. He commissioned us to preach to the people and testify that he is the one appointed by God as judge of the living and the dead. To him all the prophets bear witness, that everyone who believes in him will receive forgiveness of sins through his name.”

 

 

After six weeks of penance, prayers and special devotions of Lent, we now come to the joyous celebration of the Easter mysteries. The words Pascha, Pasch or Paschal are derivatives from the root of the Hebrew word ‘Pesach’ meaning a ‘passing by’ or a ‘passing through’. This is rendered Passover in English. In Jesus’ time, Passover was celebrated essentially with the sacrificing of lambs in the temple and the eating of a sacred meal at home, with recounting of God’s saving deeds. Now, it was during this greatest of all Jewish feasts that the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus took place.

 

Now, the two events are profoundly associated together, for in the Jewish tradition, the Israelites in Egypt were miraculously saved from slavery when the Angel of death struck the firstborn of the Egyptians but spared or Passover the chosen people. In the same vein, the Christian tradition tells us that Christ the savior of the world set us free by his blood, death and resurrection. Thus, the Hebrews celebrated their liberation from slavery while Christians celebrate their liberation from sin, shame, and death. This liberation wrought by Christ has made us dignified children of God and co-heirs with Christ. Thus, rising from the Holy Week rituals and liturgies we have arrived at the joyful celebration of Easter, which is the greatest of all Christian feasts.

 

So, at Easter we celebrate the culmination of the paschal mystery, the mystery of our salvation, as summed up in the Easter Hymn (Exsultet), and in the Paschal Candle that signify that Christ Our Light has risen to disperse the darkness that had enveloped the world. This is made clearer with the many readings read at the vigil tracing the history of our salvation to Christ’s resurrection; and we resume the singing of Alleluia and Gloria, which we had refrained from since Lent began. All this signify the joy of Easter, the joy of having been reconciled with the Father through the death and resurrection of Christ because, our Christianity has meaning only because Christ rose from the death (1Cor 15:12-25). Thus, during the vigil Mass, and during the Easter Sunday Masses, we all renew our baptismal promises and are sprinkled with baptismal water, since it was through our baptism that we 1st became incorporated into the family of God and thus identifies with Christ.

 

This calls for joy, new songs, and new life of heavenly glory in Christ with whom our life is hidden in God (Col 3:1-4). We are called to give thanks to the Lord who is good to us, for his mercy and love endures forever (Psalm 118:1). We are called to celebrate with our families and friends. We rejoice and celebrate for ‘the Lord is truly risen’. We rejoice and celebrate for this is the day the Lord has made for us to rejoice and be glad (Psalm 118:24). We rejoice and celebrate for Christ has conquered sin and death through His resurrection, which gives us the hope of our individual resurrection (Acts 10:43). We rejoice and celebrate for we know that he will set us free also from the fear, pain, and death. We are also called to spread this deep seated joy, hope and new life of Easter that comes from the heart by reaching out to others. Christ is our hope and God who raised Jesus from death will raise us up to be the glorious co-heirs with Jesus the first born from the dead. Alleluia! Amen! HAPPY EASTER!

 

Fr. Francis Chukwuma

 

Prayer: “Alleluia! Christ is risen! The Lord is risen indeed! Alleluia!”

 

Quote from a Saint:  “Easter is a season of profound transformation, a time when the old gives way to the new and the broken is made whole. It is a reminder that God's power is made perfect in weakness, and that His grace is sufficient for all our needs.” - Saint Faustina Kowalska

 

Questions for reflection:

1. How well do you keep up your Lenten sacrifices and practices?

2. What does your transition from Lent to Easter look like? Is it abrupt, where you cease all that you have been doing, or do you keep some of your new practices that have bore spiritual fruit?

3. Lent gives us a chance to “test drive” different forms of prayer, spiritual readings, etc. Are there parts of your spiritual life that you have cultivated from the practices of previous Lents?

4. What does your Easter joy look like?

5. How do you celebrate Easter? Does it only last for one day-- Easter Sunday? Do you continue to celebrate for just the Octave or do you keep celebrating in some ways for all the 50 days of Easter?

6. Do you bring Easter joy with you out into your community?

7. Does your life reflect the light that Christ brought into the world like the paschal candle at Easter Vigil?

 

-Benjamin & Kristen Rinaldo, CfP