John 20:1-9
I had an interview with Bunny Fu Fu this morning about the popular question: Do rabbit lay eggs? Bunny Fu Fu answered emphatically that they do not! He did not know how the rumor got started. Turns out that because of the great amount of Easter egg sales and baskets, our commercial system is not willing to declare that rabbits do not lay eggs. So, we compromise.
Eggs are symbolic of new life. Easter is about new life. Therefore, eggs and Easter sort of go together. However, the confetti, the glitter, and the flour are local customs and can cause headaches. Just like we crack an egg to get the good stuff out, the tomb was empty so that Jesus could be manifested in the Resurrection. We are the beneficiaries. Our admission into heaven is free. Our way to heaven is not about a secret combination of prayers or going to confession on a certain day of the month, or visiting a holy shrine. Jesus is the way, the truth and the life! From the Incarnation to His Passion, Death and Resurrection, Jesus showed us how much we are loved. The mystery hidden in plain sight that countless fail to see. Salvation has been won. Words from a popular song: “Were you there when they nailed Him to the tree?” Yet, we fail to understand the meaning. Yes, we were there. Our sins were there. From the first human to the last person who will walk the planet—all humanity was redeemed, and the great majority are ignorant of the Good News. That’s why we have work to do. Our vocation is to spread the word. We will not have to die. Our shell, our body, the box we ware will turn to dust, but our soul will never die. That’s the real meaning of Easter.
Naturally we have questions. Will we see Jesus right away? What about Purgatory? Purgatory is a dogmatic teaching of the Church. However, the “how long” question has no answer. “Today”, Jesus told the thief on the cross. “Today you will be with me in Paradise.” For God there is no time because He invented time. Jesus is present in the past, the present and the future. He is in the Blessed Sacrament. The Lord dwells in every soul, otherwise the person would not exist. Jesus is in the least of our brothers and sisters, where we would rather not look. He is present in the place where we seldom suspect—inside of us. Because of our past, our guilt, the mistakes we have made, we often conclude that the Lord wants nothing to do with us. On the contrary, He loves us always, even when we sin.
Easter celebrates new life—the Resurrection. The tomb is empty. Why look for the living among the dead? Why would anyone want to stay in the tomb? There is familiarity in the tomb. We are accustomed to beating ourselves up. We are more likely to believe negative comments rather than something positive about us. The bombs, the economy, the violence—somehow—someway we feel responsible for the negativity. To some extent we are responsible. But we do not have to carry the weight of the world on our shoulders because Jesus already did. He carried everyone and has brought us to eternal life. Change starts with each of us. Peace needs to happen in our hearts first. Families can learn to forgive. The past can never be undone. Wallowing in self-pity is not the answer. Today can be a new day outside of the dark shadows. Jesus offers us a way out of the madness. If we believe what we say that we believe, then nothing should disturb our peace. We should be the happiest people in the world. We know to whom we belong and where we are going. Our life here is a marvelous adventure, but only the beginning.
When we close our eyes to all that is familiar, to the things we have coveted, to our desire to control, then we will be free to surrender. Jesus surrendered and look what happened. Happy Easter.
I had an interview with Bunny Fu Fu this morning about the popular question: Do rabbit lay eggs? Bunny Fu Fu answered emphatically that they do not! He did not know how the rumor got started. Turns out that because of the great amount of Easter egg sales and baskets, our commercial system is not willing to declare that rabbits do not lay eggs. So, we compromise.
Eggs are symbolic of new life. Easter is about new life. Therefore, eggs and Easter sort of go together. However, the confetti, the glitter, and the flour are local customs and can cause headaches. Just like we crack an egg to get the good stuff out, the tomb was empty so that Jesus could be manifested in the Resurrection. We are the beneficiaries. Our admission into heaven is free. Our way to heaven is not about a secret combination of prayers or going to confession on a certain day of the month, or visiting a holy shrine. Jesus is the way, the truth and the life! From the Incarnation to His Passion, Death and Resurrection, Jesus showed us how much we are loved. The mystery hidden in plain sight that countless fail to see. Salvation has been won. Words from a popular song: “Were you there when they nailed Him to the tree?” Yet, we fail to understand the meaning. Yes, we were there. Our sins were there. From the first human to the last person who will walk the planet—all humanity was redeemed, and the great majority are ignorant of the Good News. That’s why we have work to do. Our vocation is to spread the word. We will not have to die. Our shell, our body, the box we ware will turn to dust, but our soul will never die. That’s the real meaning of Easter.
Naturally we have questions. Will we see Jesus right away? What about Purgatory? Purgatory is a dogmatic teaching of the Church. However, the “how long” question has no answer. “Today”, Jesus told the thief on the cross. “Today you will be with me in Paradise.” For God there is no time because He invented time. Jesus is present in the past, the present and the future. He is in the Blessed Sacrament. The Lord dwells in every soul, otherwise the person would not exist. Jesus is in the least of our brothers and sisters, where we would rather not look. He is present in the place where we seldom suspect—inside of us. Because of our past, our guilt, the mistakes we have made, we often conclude that the Lord wants nothing to do with us. On the contrary, He loves us always, even when we sin.
Easter celebrates new life—the Resurrection. The tomb is empty. Why look for the living among the dead? Why would anyone want to stay in the tomb? There is familiarity in the tomb. We are accustomed to beating ourselves up. We are more likely to believe negative comments rather than something positive about us. The bombs, the economy, the violence—somehow—someway we feel responsible for the negativity. To some extent we are responsible. But we do not have to carry the weight of the world on our shoulders because Jesus already did. He carried everyone and has brought us to eternal life. Change starts with each of us. Peace needs to happen in our hearts first. Families can learn to forgive. The past can never be undone. Wallowing in self-pity is not the answer. Today can be a new day outside of the dark shadows. Jesus offers us a way out of the madness. If we believe what we say that we believe, then nothing should disturb our peace. We should be the happiest people in the world. We know to whom we belong and where we are going. Our life here is a marvelous adventure, but only the beginning.
When we close our eyes to all that is familiar, to the things we have coveted, to our desire to control, then we will be free to surrender. Jesus surrendered and look what happened. Happy Easter.
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