Fliickr User Katrina Br*?#*!@nd
The Resurrection of the Lord
Alleluia, Alleluia
When I was growing up, Easter Sunday was my favorite day of the year. Even more than
opening presents on Christmas, I loved the Easter egg hunt. My family’s egg hunt was much
more than an activity, but it was a ruthless competition, where the winner would win a crisp
$50 bill, and, more importantly, the pride of finding the money egg. It was always hidden in the
most obscure place – underground, inside a lemon, or in someone’s pocket – and we loved being the
child praised for our ability to seek it out. My worst nightmare came true when I turned 13 and my
uncle told me that it was the last year I was allowed to play. I couldn’t believe he was serious. How
could my uncle take away the best part of Easter from me? What was there to look forward to now?
As we begin this new liturgical season, I find myself having similar thoughts to the ones I had in
eighth grade. Certain traditions fizzle out or people cancel last minute and our Easter
experience is no longer what we look forward to. So maybe it’s time to look somewhere else.
Everyone knows that Easter is a time for joy, but it’s important to remember that Easter is also
a time for hope. We do not find joy in worldly things, but Easter reminds us that our joy is found
in the hope of resurrection. This can seem contradictory because thoughts about resurrection
and afterlife are often unsettling, but this is what is supposed to be our greatest joy. And our
actions during Lent confirm this fact. Why do we fast and sacrifice during Lent? The aim is not
to increase the pleasures of our Easter Sunday celebration, but rather because our
detachment from worldly items gives us the freedom to experience a joy and hope in the
promise that Jesus makes through His own Resurrection. Easter tells us that we have eternal
joy to look forward to, a joy that is supposed to last much longer than the Easter season, a joy
that surpasses winning any egg hunt. I pray we can all enter in to these next 50 days and
experience a taste of this eternal joy.