After 40 days of Lent and the grace filled days of Holy Week, we arrive at Easter Sunday, our Lord’s Resurrection. Easter is the greatest and most important feast in the Church, and is indeed the basis of our Christian faith.
Perhaps we did not progress on our Lenten journey as we had hoped. It is possible that busyness, distractions, or other struggles have prevented us from fully living well this important time, which is at the heart of the liturgical year.
The difficulties and sufferings we face may obscure the reality of our faith, which is the abundant life and hope that comes from Jesus Christ, our Lord.
When Mary Magdalene goes to the tomb to mourn Jesus’ death, she cannot help but feel pain and discouragement because “they have taken the Lord away”. (cf.Jn 20:2)
However, this pain of loss is necessary to intensely live the joy of the reunion. We learn that suffering, if lived according to the Divine pedagogy, has meaning and is not an end in itself. This suffering must be lived in the light of Christ’s Resurrection, since Jesus, by conquering death, has given us eternal life, and the grace to be more than conquerors with Him. (Rom 8:37) This great certitude of our faith, along with His grace and merits, helps us to overcome every difficulty. The Christian fears nothing, because he is assured that all evil has been defeated. By conquering death, our Redeemer has vanquished sin, which is the root of all evil. He restores us to the life which had been lost through Original Sin. We can say along with St. John Paul II, “Even if in the history of man, of individuals, of families, of society, and finally of all of humanity, evil had developed disproportionately, blurring the horizon of good, it nevertheless will not overcome you! No longer will death strike you! The risen Christ no longer dies! (Urbi et Orbe Message, Easter 1982)
Let us imitate our Mother Mary, who can teach us to live the hope of the Resurrection. She, more than any other creature, has always been united to Jesus with unwavering faith. May the Virgin Mary, Mother of Hope, and Mother of the living, show us the way forward, steadfast in faith, and full of Easter joy.
The Missionaries of Divine Revelation, wish you a holy and peaceful Easter.
God Bless Us
And the Virgin Protect Us