Unveiling the Light

Does Easter matter anymore? Our world is becoming increasingly secularized. We no longer have Easter vacation, we have Spring break. I remember when you could not find a store open on Good Friday or Easter Sunday. Today Easter is treated as another reason for a sale and regular if not extended hours can be expected. Many will make their semi-annual trip to the local church but may not understand why. Others will not bother going at all. They may say that they worship God in their own way or that they won’t go to Church because of all of the hypocrites there (I tell them there is always room for one more). Some won’t give the matter a second thought. It will be just another day. Many may have only a vague notion of Easter having something to do with Jesus Christ and the cross. In the midst of all this will be the faithful believers. For them this is the holiest day of the year and reflects on the very core of their identity. Why is Easter important to them and why should it be important to the others? Why should it matter to you?

We live in a world that is ruled by brute force. Nations practice diplomacy backed by powerful armies and economic power. Politicians bend to power in the legislation they pass and use it ruthlessly towards rivals. No means seems out of bounds when it comes to destroying political rivals. Policy after policy is enacted to help the poor and increase education but we continually are frustrated by an entrenched bureaucracy set on protecting its own existence. On a personal level we may find ourselves in a workplace where those with less qualifications rise in position, where favoritism reigns and the good seem to lose out. Those we look up to, especially sports heroes, may have let us down with their personal behavior. Often even our families disintegrate because of personal betrayal. The world often seems full of selfishness, meanness and betrayal.

In all of this we proclaim the very different message of Jesus Christ. He tells us that if we want to find true life we must first die to ourselves, put aside our own aspirations and desires and look to what we can do those in need. We are told to eschew the gathering of personal power and instead seek to serve. The greatest among us must make ourselves the servant to the least among us. We should look past the failings of others, find forgiveness in our hearts and love even our enemies. He does not promise us that we will then be rewarded with an easy life. In fact, he warns us that it may lead to a life of strife and suffering. But we will have these no matter how we live our lives. However in our living the life Jesus calls us to we will find that life can be peaceful and fulfilling. What’s more, it will be a life which matters for the good of the world. After giving us these life lessons, Jesus then demonstrated to us exactly what he meant.

In the weeks before Easter, during Lent, we remember that Jesus suffered willingly so that we might live. He is our God who wants for nothing but who, only for our sake and out of pure love, came to live among us to teach and demonstrate how to live out our human nature. He expressed and demonstrated God’s love for us and in His life proved the value of our human dignity and our capacity to love one another. He did this by living out His human nature to its perfection. Then, in the ultimate sacrifice, this God made man gave himself up to a painful and long death on the cross because he also recognized our human weaknesses and propensity to sin. He wanted to and did pay the price for those sins. He did this to win our freedom and to give us the ability to live in His Grace. His gift grants us true life that extends even beyond this world.

Easter is our most important celebration. For 2,000 years the Church has given testimony to this great event. We stand with the Apostles and witnesses who saw the hopelessness of the cross overcome by the victory of the Resurrection. They believed and gave their lives as testimony to the truth of that belief. Our Savior came to save us and the people put him to death with their disbelief. The One so many had put their hope in was put to death on the cross. Then, on the third day, when all hope seemed to be lost, the tomb was found empty. The witnesses came to experience the Resurrected Jesus. Because of that experience, of His victory over death, their despair turned into hope and a willingness to change their lives and even die for that hope. We continue that witness today and it comes to its climax in our Easter celebration. Not only had Jesus demonstrated how the human condition could and should be lived out but He gave us a life that spans far beyond this world. He has called us to be more than we could have dreamed on our own and has invited us to join Him in the heavenly kingdom.

Easter matters because it is what gives our lives meaning. It is what enables us to be counter cultural and to fight the brutality of the world with our loving care of each other. Because of Easter we strive faithfully in a callous world to feed the hungry, care for the sick and to raise the poor from their poverty. We minister to those who mourn and give hope to the hopeless. Because of Easter we have discovered that we don’t need to be number one; that it is okay to have less and be more and that life can be good without mindless spending on egotistical pursuits. It is not what we have but who we have loved. It is not what goods we accumulate in our life but how well we have lived it. It is not what we have accomplished for ourselves but how we have improved the world around us. It matters less how we have changed others than how we have allowed God to change us into more than we thought possible.

We find joy in the happiness of others and comfort in the feeling of the presence of the Lord and His love for all. This life is only good when we live by the unselfish principals espoused by Jesus. Sooner or later we all come to realize what Jesus continually told us. Many only understand these things at the end of their life. Others may not find the truth until it is over. Blessed are those who discover these truths early and strive to make them part of who they are. We are creatures of a loving God and we have His loving nature within us. We can be more than this world expects. We can be more than even we think possible. Even in a world filled with turmoil we can be a people of peace and love. For this reason Easter matters. Because of this Truth people have experienced a better world and because of it we always have hope for a better future. Happy Easter and may the love of our Lord Jesus Christ spring eternal in your hearts!

Father Steven Foppiano