The Bishop's Perspective - Making all things new, starting with me

“is is the Day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be
glad in it! Alleluia”

 at beautiful statement is the refrain from the responsorial psalm for Easter Sunday. it is a part of psalm 118, a powerful (and lengthy) psalm of anksgiving, and one with which we are more than likely very familiar, with verses such as “Give thanks to the Lord for He is good, for His mercy endures forever….By the Lord has this been done; it is wonderful in our eyes.” e psalm, proclaimed by King David many generations before Jesus came into the world, anticipated that great “Day of the lord” when all things — all creation — all humanity would be made new. 

at event that King David could only imagine is what we celebrated on Easter Sunday. is Solemn Feast is so primary and central to our faith that the Church celebrates Easter for an entire octave — eight days; throughout Easter week, each day is treated as though it’s still Easter Day. And even beyond that, the Church celebrates the Easter Season for 50 days, 10 days longer than the lenten Season. And throughout the Easter Season, we continue to proclaim that Easter is “the Day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it! Alleluia!”

Easter is a “new Day”. at means more than a 24-hour day, or a week-long day, or even a season of 50 days-day. Easter is a “new Day” that has opened us to a new era—-and calls us to live with mind and heart renewed. at is why the Season of lent focuses so much of our attention on calling us to a conversion of mind and heart, not to get us through those 40 days, but then revert back to the way we acted before lent began. no, lent is to prepare us to be consciously aware of those areas in our lives where we had become much too comfortable with sinful practices and attitudes; then, once aware and contrite, with a renewed heart and clarity of intention, to be committed to allow god’s graces to help us live in the “newness of life” that Jesus’ Victory over sin and death, through His resurrection, accomplished on Easter.

Easter not only transformed all of history, but it clearly transformed Jesus Himself into a glorified Jesus. e Easter Sunday gospel accounts tell us over and over again that those who first encountered the risen Jesus did not recognize Him: Mary Magdalene, who at first thought he was the gardener, only recognized Jesus when He gently called her name as He had done so oen before Easter; the Disciples on the road to Emmaus didn’t recognize Him for hours as the risen Jesus walked along with them talking about why they were so despondent, and only recognized Jesus “in the Breaking of the Bread”; and the Apostles themselves, when Jesus passed through the locked doors of where they were hiding, thought at first He was a ghost. Easter is about “newness” and “life”; Easter is about radical change from former ways of living to new ways of living; Easter is about living in hope rather than fear. Easter is a day that the lord Himself has made; Easter calls us to “rejoice and be glad in it”.

So, how will we allow Easter to change us, to transform us, to make us renewed in Jesus’ resurrection? lenten resolutions and good practices are not intended to be put aside now that Easter is here. ose resolutions to pray more regularly and with greater devotion; to fast not only to sacrifice and curb our physical appetites, but also to curb our vices, our bad habits, our sinful attitudes, and our selfish ways; and those resolutions to be more generous, compassionate, thoughtful and Christ-like in our acts of mercy to those in need — if all we do now that lent is over is go back to praying less, being thoughtless about what we say, do and think, and be unaware of others’ needs, we have sorely missed the point. lent is to prepare us to be “new people” — to be “Easter people” — to be people that perhaps others around us may have trouble recognizing because we are changed, renewed, more zealous, and consciously and purposely giving witness to our faith in the risen Jesus.

Easter should be prompting us to be more mindful, both of those people with whom we live and associate every day, including those with whom we worship every week, but also — and perhaps even more so — with those who are strangers to us, but who really and truly are our sisters and brothers in Christ whom we have yet to recognize. Easter should be leading us to be much more intentional about reaching out to the poor, the marginalized, the vulnerable and those who the world ignores; Easter should be making us more committed to practicing the spiritual and corporal works of mercy, not just as lenten sacrifice, but as an Easter act of joy, so that when we give food to the hungry and drink to the thirsty and clothe the naked and give shelter to the homeless, we are doing so because we see the risen Jesus in them.

Easter makes all things new, including each and every one of us. May each of us make this our daily prayer: “Easter is the Day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it! Alleluia!”

May god bless you, now and always!