After the Forty Days of Lent, come the Fifty Days of Easter. That’s right, friends, FIFTY DAYS of celebrating the mystery of the resurrection. Of course, every Sunday is a Feast of the Resurrection, even in Lent, a Little Easter. In the ancient church, this was a period where newly baptized Christians, having studied and prepared for the rite of baptism, now reflected on the unfolding mystery of their new life in Christ, a period of “mystagogy.” And the big question: what is the Risen Life for you?
St. Paul celebrated a festive Easter Sunday, with joyous acclamations:”Christ is risen, Alleluia.” Guest musicians, Mike Milnarek, and his pianist/composer wife Sanae Kanda, played with us. The choir sang their hearts, as did the congregation. Ted Stoddard led us in glorious strains on the organ. The children rang bells, and resurrected the Alleluia banner. We all were sprinkled with the waters of baptism.
Easter becomes more and more a shining beauty of a day; we’re gathered into another round glory, one of my friends, Br. Jonathan Maury, SSJE, has said. And I agree. Another Easter, gathered into another round of glory. Each day since has been beautiful in its own way. And if it has rained since Sunday, I can’t remember, because the sun seems to be shining every minute, and the moon even brighter in a clearer sky. Perhaps it’s the shifting light of the spring season, and there’s more light each day. But I think the truth is a spiritual one, that my eyes, each Easter, are washed anew, and I can see more brightly the light of the Risen One in the garden of this life.