Easter Celebration
by Fr. Gus Carter
5/1/05

We are aware that we are still celebrating Easter. We should realize that at every Mass we are celebrating Easter. It is the risen Christ who becomes present among us through the Eucharistic prayer. We participate in Jesus offering himself to the Father. Jesus "yes" to the Father lasts for all eternity. The Epistle to the Hebrew tells us of Jesus: "Because he remains forever, he has a priesthood that does not pass away. Therefore, he is always able to save those who approach God through him, since he lives forever to make intercession for them." As a result of Jesus offering himself, the Holy Spirit comes upon us to give us the power to return love for love in our relationship with Almighty God.
The risen Jesus has been glorified so that in his spiritualized body he may be intimately present to each person.

St. Paul prayed that he might know Christ and the power of his resurrection. The empowered Jesus provides us with the graces we need to know him intimately, to follow him, to be his disciples. The Holy Spirit sent by Christ makes it possible for us to relate personally to Jesus through the events of the Gospel. Through the power of the Spirit, we have the same opportunity to know Jesus as did those who met him bodily while he was on earth. That same Spirit, the love of God in the Trinity, gives us the capacity to love God with the same love the Lord has for us.

Every Sunday is a special day to celebrate Easter. The Jewish Sabbath celebrates God's creation and God's goodness to the people of Israei. Orthodox jews, we know, are very careful about keeping the Sabbath holy.

We celebrate Sunday because that is the day Jesus rose from the dead, fulfilling the promises made to the Hebrews. Jesus rising from the dead is God's ultimate gift to all peoples. Easter makes possible the forgiveness of sins. Easter makes it possible for us to share God's love in an intimate relationship. We are already given divine life in baptism. We celebrate the promise of this life which will make it possible for us to share divine life forever. In Jesus God reveals the ultimate reason for our existence.

Celebration always has an element of thanksgiving. We say that we celebrate Mass which we call Eucharist which means thanksgiving.

Celebration means recalling and appreciating the events which we celebrate. There is nothing in all the world that is more important than the Paschal Mystery. Through Jesus suffering, death and resurrection we become children of God, heirs of Christ's kingdom of heaven. Through Jesus we share in divine life now. What possible event could be more of a cause for celebration.

Theologians and sociologists have commented on what a great gift a day of rest has been for all human beings. Insisting that everyone has a right to a day off has allowed people time to rest their bodies and to reflect on the direction of their lives at regular intervals. Celebration encourages us to reflect on important issues in our lives. One of the things Christians should celebrate is Christ's invitation of friendship to each human being. We might ask ourselves, "How often do I celebrate the friendship my Creator has offered me through Jesus Christ, the Son of God?"

Friendship involves interactions with another person that move us toward the fullness of our humanity. Recalling events that have been important in a friendship helps that friendship grow: we become more appreciative of the other person. We prepare ourselves for further personal development.

We should recall in the presence of God the many aspects of our friendship with the Lord. Parents, teachers, childhood friends, religious events, small moments with various people have deepened our understanding of what it means to be a friend of Jesus, a friend of the blessed Trinity. Recalling help that came to us in times of trouble gives us a better grasp of who we are and how we should act towards other people. We become people of compassion and understanding through our grasp of important situations that have fostered our humanity. Recalling mistakes helps to avoid them in the future.

To develop ourselves as persons we need a day for play, for friends, for nature, for leisure. We are aware of how consumer society has robbed many people of their day of rest. We, too, might think of how the urgency of business has gradually stolen from us time that is essential to our well-being. In our lives we must find the time we need for ourselves and for our relationships with others and with God. Even in a pressured life do we have the will to find the time the Lord asks of us for or own sakes and for that of others?