The Resurrection

I just received two text messages from friends. One said "Happy Easter =]!!" and the other said "Happy Resurrection Day!"

There's nothing wrong with the first text, obviously, because today is in fact Easter Sunday; but sometimes it feels as though we're focused on the joy of Easter in terms of eating candy and partying and seeing family and hearing happy music in Mass, while we can tend to overlook the REAL reason for all the celebration.

You may think, no Emma, I know that Easter is the day the Lord has made! Christ resurrected! That is the real meaning. He died for our sins and rose to life! He has given us new life!

Well yes, this is true. But we often just say things, we often know the answer, we often are joyful for events like Easter Sunday but don't REALLY comprehend what we are saying. There's a difference between believing something with your mind and believing with your heart.

I can compare it to the Eucharist. We know, because we are taught and believe, that the Eucharist is in fact the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. He offered himself to us, and we get to participate in possibly the most beautiful communion known to mankind - that of literally consuming our Savior and becoming one with Him, body and blood. If this is so, if this is what we truly believe, then why aren't we rushing to Mass every Sunday? Why aren't we reverent for the entire liturgy? Why don't we arrive early, instead of 5 minutes before (or late), to prepare our minds and hearts to receive our LORD? Why do we not fall to our knees every time we receive Him, overcome with His sheer power and glory? Why do we not burst into tears at the beauty and reality that we get to receive Jesus? Why do we complain about going to Mass and waking up early? Why do we get excited to sing at Mass in a choir, to see friends that we haven't seen in a week, to eat breakfast together afterwards, to dress up and act holy, yet we don't dress up because we will be in the presence of the LORD; we don't eat breakfast to share in community and talk about the LORD; we don't get excited to see JESUS who we haven't seen in a week; we don't get excited to sing praises to the Lord for the sole reason that HE IS THE LORD. We say that we believe the Eucharist is truly the body and blood of Christ, and maybe we do believe it; but do we believe it with our heart?

It's no wonder that many people are skeptical about the Catholic Church. The core teaching of our faith that separates us from other Christian religions doesn't even seem like it's that important to us.

So what about Easter and Christmas and these other joyous events in the Church? Are we going to get excited about Easter because Lent is over and we can eat sweets and meat and use Facebook? Or are we going to REJOICE in this day that the Lord has made! Rejoice today not because it's Easter Sunday, but because Jesus Christ rose from the dead today. For more than a month we haven't said "Alleluia!" We've sacrificed those things in our lives that we indulge in or that take us away from spending time with the Lord, but now we can rejoice and sing praises to our Lord Jesus Christ because He is risen! Happy Resurrection Day! Because of this day, because He rose from the dead, WE have life after death. WE are able to worship Him and receive Him. WE are saved from sin and death. WE are loved by the Lord and WE are called to new life in Him!

So today on Easter Sunday, or as I now like to refer to it, Resurrection Day, share in joy and feasting with family and friends, but not just that - celebrate because we all have the chance to take part in the everlasting life that Jesus Christ has offered us through His death and resurrection!