Friends, He is Risen!
The Easter season is certainly a time to be marked with joy - for after encountering the heaviness of Holy Week where our Lord is betrayed, mocked, abandoned and handed over to a tragic public crucifixion, we exhale a sigh of relief and breathe a breath of life as we come to understand that the passion does not end with the power of death; rather, the Lord’s passion continues and bursts forth with the power of life! Alleluia!
This is the goodness of Easter – while suffering and death certainly are part of our lives, if we lend ourselves to the reality of God, then our lives are not ended with the power of death; rather, there is something more: wholeness, life, rest and passion! We as Christians grapple with suffering and death specifically through the lens of grace and resurrection, for God has shown to us what His power does and what it means for us. It is this life-giving action of God that seeks to raise us up to life with Him that, paradoxically, humbles me and brings me low to my knees. It’s a beautiful reality which makes me yearn to be more-fully engaged in my life with Christ, yet the paschal journey is one marked with mystery and literally requires faith to forge onward!
This Easter message is a powerful one, and it definitely is one of goodness. So much so that this Easter message needs to be shared – and friends, we are the ones who carry this message! While it is great to distribute Bibles and catechisms, Saints Augustine and Bonaventure realized that people’s hearts are moved and shaped when they encounter the living, breathing Christ thru His witnesses. This is our mission. We know God is present and is for us – and He is NEVER far from us and wants to impart wisdom, peace, rest, passion and life. We know that it is possible for people to go thru life and even realize God is near, yet they never encounter Him. God has bestowed upon us many gifts and blessings. May we be conduits of His presence and bring others into the reality of Easter so that God may be known and loved. This Easter season, may we never lay a cross upon others; rather, may we extend the victory of the Cross of Christ!
Happy Easter, y’all!
Friar Bryan
The Easter season is certainly a time to be marked with joy - for after encountering the heaviness of Holy Week where our Lord is betrayed, mocked, abandoned and handed over to a tragic public crucifixion, we exhale a sigh of relief and breathe a breath of life as we come to understand that the passion does not end with the power of death; rather, the Lord’s passion continues and bursts forth with the power of life! Alleluia!
This is the goodness of Easter – while suffering and death certainly are part of our lives, if we lend ourselves to the reality of God, then our lives are not ended with the power of death; rather, there is something more: wholeness, life, rest and passion! We as Christians grapple with suffering and death specifically through the lens of grace and resurrection, for God has shown to us what His power does and what it means for us. It is this life-giving action of God that seeks to raise us up to life with Him that, paradoxically, humbles me and brings me low to my knees. It’s a beautiful reality which makes me yearn to be more-fully engaged in my life with Christ, yet the paschal journey is one marked with mystery and literally requires faith to forge onward!
This Easter message is a powerful one, and it definitely is one of goodness. So much so that this Easter message needs to be shared – and friends, we are the ones who carry this message! While it is great to distribute Bibles and catechisms, Saints Augustine and Bonaventure realized that people’s hearts are moved and shaped when they encounter the living, breathing Christ thru His witnesses. This is our mission. We know God is present and is for us – and He is NEVER far from us and wants to impart wisdom, peace, rest, passion and life. We know that it is possible for people to go thru life and even realize God is near, yet they never encounter Him. God has bestowed upon us many gifts and blessings. May we be conduits of His presence and bring others into the reality of Easter so that God may be known and loved. This Easter season, may we never lay a cross upon others; rather, may we extend the victory of the Cross of Christ!
Happy Easter, y’all!
Friar Bryan
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