Christ is Risen - The “light” in our eyes does not lie!

Happy Easter - Christ is Risen!…Now that Lent is over…Easter Sunday is a welcome change…Something new begins Easter morning….The lessons hopefully learned from our Lenten fast pointed to this day…Today is a day to rejoice and celebrate…Death no longer has a sting and in fact because of Easter Sunday, death now has meaning….Death is a portal into something eternal…No matter who we are, what we have accomplished, what talents we have been given…Two aspects of human life binds us all together…We all will suffer, to one degree or another and we all will die…Only Jesus Christ can give meaning to both suffering and death, the two “great foes” of mankind…..And when viewing suffering from the lens of Catholic teaching - Suffering is nothing more than a “tool” used to sanctify us, preparing us for eternal life…When we view death and suffering in this manner - And when we open our hearts to Divine grace - Fear no longer has any power over us……”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”…….Our witness to the unbelieving world rests in our joy and peace….Knowing that death has been conquered - There is a great freedom received in knowing this reality….This is what every human person longs for - Whether they say it or not…Our words will never convince the world about this freedom - Only our life’s witness can…..“Do not be afraid! I know that you are seeking Jesus the crucified. He is not here, for he has been raised just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples, ‘He has been raised from the dead, and he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him.’ Behold, I have told you”……..Each of us has “something” to do - One chapter ended on Good Friday and another one began Easter Sunday…God is still “writing” the story of salvation…..And the final chapter has not been completed yet…What is your “part” in that story?

“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”

Within a three day period, the world changed two thousand years ago…People talk about “change” all the time…Books are written about transforming lives - Self help “coaches” charge huge fees to help people “change”…But ultimately does any of this really work or last?….The human condition, no mater who we are is plagued by sin…And this is why the life of Christ is so significant….Jesus not only died for our sins but gave us a Church, which gives us the Sacraments…And its through the Sacraments that we can change - For real - In lasting and permanent ways…..The modern world does not believe this - And this is our primary task as Catholics…Not to “argue” with secular people - But to demonstrate by our life just how important it is to live Sacramentally…..We are an Easter people! - But if we do not live Sacramentally - Our Easter joy will also fade away when Easter Sunday comes to a close today………When I first began working with Mother Teresa’s sisters in 2007, I noticed something about the sisters….All the nuns had this “light” in their eyes…..It was something I never saw in other people I have encountered in life….And frankly, I thought to myself - “I want that light in my eyes too”…..Have you ever looked into the eyes of a child?….That is the “kind of light” I am talking about…..When we get older and begin to “see” the world as it really is as an adult - We lose “something” and when we do - That “light” in our eyes goes out….Only Jesus Christ, living in us Sacramentally can give us that “light” back! - The “light” only children have in their eyes before the world robs us of it……......”Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven”………Through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, we are given the opportunity to regain our childhood innocence….Nothing the world can give to us can accomplish this reality - And it is reality! - How do I know? - I saw it in the eyes of Catholic nuns and because I saw it - I wanted that “light” to return to my eyes too!

“The stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. By the LORD has this been done; it is wonderful in our eyes”

Today all over the world people will celebrate Easter Sunday…..Christ has indeed risen! - Easter joy is as real as Easter Sunday - As Catholics, it’s our joy that people see - And it’s our joy that people want - Real and lasting joy can not be self manufactured….And we can not give what we do not possess….Easter Sunday is a realization of that lasting joy - Its something we all can all receive - But the choice is ours to make to receive it…Easter Sunday could simply be just another celebration marked on our calendar - Just “another day” - Or it can be something much more!….Easter Sunday is a “glimpse” into eternity - Its a reminder that death no longer limits mankind - We as Catholics can claim to understand that concept intellectually or we can internalize this idea and live through this reality each and everyday…How do you know if you have internalized the reality of the Risen Christ?- Well - As I noted above in this reflection - A “light” will appear in your eyes!….This is a “sign”….Christ is Risen - The “light” in our eyes does not lie!……….JMJ