A Sunday Thought About Taking Easter Seriously to Start the Week Off Right
Let's take some time on these Sundays during the Easter Season to bolster our understanding of the Resurrection.
Not the facts. We all know them, I'm sure. Just read the Gospels for any details you may have missed or forgotten.
Rather, we'll try to dig deep into what Christ's Resurrection should mean to us, how it should guide our lives each day. Easter shouldn't be one singular point in time. That's why our Holy Mother the Church extends our focus and celebration from Easter Sunday through the entirety of the Easter Season.
Fr. Bernard Wuellner, S.J. put together some thoughts about this. We'll reference these to deepen our understanding. They should help us take Easter seriously not only during this Easter Season but every day of our lives.
And so we begin:
“The Christian puts to himself one searching question at Easter: Am I risen with Christ?"
If we haven't asked this question yet, do so now. With that question asked, Father provides a swift answer:
"One proof that one is living the risen life of grace is a heart burning with love of Christ and all that belongs to this Friend of our souls. For this must be a feature of the new life of grace, that we have a buoyant interest in Christ and a keen ambition to possess His treasures. If we listen to the Church urging us to live the Christ-life more fully these days, we will spiritually rise from our religious sloth, our moral faults, and our absorption in worldly interests that take the mind and heart away from the risen Lord."
Such thoughts stand a much better chance of penetrating our hearts and minds during moments of peaceful solitude. First recommendation: Read Father's words in those circumstances if at all possible.
For example, if we're surrounded by family busy-ness - of whatever nature - try to find a few moments in relative isolation to read and comprehend the idea of "living the risen life of grace," or "a heart burning with love of Christ and all that belongs to this Friend of our souls."
Or perhaps we need to set aside the typical digital noise - visual or auditory - that sometimes continually commands our attention. Unless we do that, we'll never appreciate what "a bouyant interest in Christ and a keen ambition to possess His treasures" really means. In Father's words: "to live the Christ-life more fully."
These aren't just fine words put on paper to sound good or impress us with their scholarship. They've not been offered by someone looking to build a career as a writer, to sell books. Father shares deep, heartfelt thoughts to help us grow closer to Christ. That's the intention of good spiritual writing. We should do our best to give these words the chance to penetrate our frequently preoccupied brains and our sometimes hard hearts.
Father then addresses a theme we've often raised:
It would be a pitiable mistake to let the slackening of the Lenten penances become at Easter a signal for a decrease in our daily living for and yearning for Christ. The paschal season ought rather to be a sustained climatic union of our souls with His joy and victories….
Make no mistake here: A "sustained climatic union of our souls with His joy and victories" doesn't come without effort and cooperation with God's grace. We don't just say, "Yeah sure, looks good to me" and snap it into place. If our Lenten discipline was pursued sincerely and diligently, that should help. If we continue with our penances as Father urges, we've got a shot at this "sustained climatic union." At least it's a start.
Next week, we'll see some concrete suggestions about how we can build on that start.
Not the facts. We all know them, I'm sure. Just read the Gospels for any details you may have missed or forgotten.
Rather, we'll try to dig deep into what Christ's Resurrection should mean to us, how it should guide our lives each day. Easter shouldn't be one singular point in time. That's why our Holy Mother the Church extends our focus and celebration from Easter Sunday through the entirety of the Easter Season.
Fr. Bernard Wuellner, S.J. put together some thoughts about this. We'll reference these to deepen our understanding. They should help us take Easter seriously not only during this Easter Season but every day of our lives.
And so we begin:
“The Christian puts to himself one searching question at Easter: Am I risen with Christ?"
If we haven't asked this question yet, do so now. With that question asked, Father provides a swift answer:
"One proof that one is living the risen life of grace is a heart burning with love of Christ and all that belongs to this Friend of our souls. For this must be a feature of the new life of grace, that we have a buoyant interest in Christ and a keen ambition to possess His treasures. If we listen to the Church urging us to live the Christ-life more fully these days, we will spiritually rise from our religious sloth, our moral faults, and our absorption in worldly interests that take the mind and heart away from the risen Lord."
Such thoughts stand a much better chance of penetrating our hearts and minds during moments of peaceful solitude. First recommendation: Read Father's words in those circumstances if at all possible.
For example, if we're surrounded by family busy-ness - of whatever nature - try to find a few moments in relative isolation to read and comprehend the idea of "living the risen life of grace," or "a heart burning with love of Christ and all that belongs to this Friend of our souls."
Or perhaps we need to set aside the typical digital noise - visual or auditory - that sometimes continually commands our attention. Unless we do that, we'll never appreciate what "a bouyant interest in Christ and a keen ambition to possess His treasures" really means. In Father's words: "to live the Christ-life more fully."
These aren't just fine words put on paper to sound good or impress us with their scholarship. They've not been offered by someone looking to build a career as a writer, to sell books. Father shares deep, heartfelt thoughts to help us grow closer to Christ. That's the intention of good spiritual writing. We should do our best to give these words the chance to penetrate our frequently preoccupied brains and our sometimes hard hearts.
Father then addresses a theme we've often raised:
It would be a pitiable mistake to let the slackening of the Lenten penances become at Easter a signal for a decrease in our daily living for and yearning for Christ. The paschal season ought rather to be a sustained climatic union of our souls with His joy and victories….
Make no mistake here: A "sustained climatic union of our souls with His joy and victories" doesn't come without effort and cooperation with God's grace. We don't just say, "Yeah sure, looks good to me" and snap it into place. If our Lenten discipline was pursued sincerely and diligently, that should help. If we continue with our penances as Father urges, we've got a shot at this "sustained climatic union." At least it's a start.
Next week, we'll see some concrete suggestions about how we can build on that start.
Happy Easter!
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