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Dear Sisters and Brothers in the Lord:
“We praise you with greater joy than ever in this Easter
season, when Christ became our paschal sacrifice.”
These words will be very familiar to us by the end of
the Easter season. Other phrases from the Easter prefaces help us “get a
handle” on this pivotal time of the Christian year. There are some
powerful images of Christ to be found here. Christ is described as
the true lamb who takes away the sins of the world, the one who makes us
children of the light and opens the gates of heaven, our advocate who
always pleads our cause, the one in whom a new age has dawned and a
broken world has been renewed. These are wonderful words of hope at
a time when world events can make us feel despondent and helpless.
The Acts of the Apostles and the Gospel of John form the
heart of the Liturgy of the Word throughout the fifty days of Easter.
The readings from John focus on how Christ’s dying and rising is shared
with us and on the demands this makes on us. They speak of the life of
those who have been baptized, of those who have joined in Jesus’
Passover meal and of their life in the company of the risen Lord.
Usually the first reading of the Liturgy of the Word
comes from the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament). For the seven Sundays
of Easter however it is taken from the Acts of the Apostles. The aim is
not to provide us with a basic history of the early Church, but to
enable us to compare our own experiences with the struggles and joys of
the early Christian community in Jerusalem. Even the practical aspects
of the life of the community happen within the context of the
resurrection of Jesus and the accompanying gift of the spirit.
In the Easter psalms we continue to “rejoice and be
glad” and “cry out to God with joy” as we sing our Alleluias! The
second reading during this year (cycle A) comes from the first letter of
Peter. This letter is important for its teaching on the paschal mystery
and its implication for Christian life.
There is a great coherence to the readings of the Easter
season because they look at the same great event over and over again
from a different angle. Through the scriptures we keep returning to the
inexhaustible mystery of the resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth.
The words of the solemn blessing of the Easter season
send us forth as Easter people to bring joy, freedom and hope to the
world.
Happy Easter! Alleluia! Alleluia!
Let’s give our minds and hearts to the Lord!
Father Joe |
