Easter 2011
Eternal life is not life after death, it starts right
here and now in this life,
In the waters of Baptism and in the grace of the Eucharist!
Eternal life is a gift and we can unwrap it again and again
Whenever we live truly as Christians, as followers of Christ, as little
"Christs" ourselves,
When our lives are filled with humility and charity and joy.
Eternal life is an ongoing process, it is never mastered on this side
of eternity
But it can certainly be tasted in our heart and soul.
Eternal life is closer to a musical instrument which needs to be practiced
A good way to measure the practice being the works of mercy.
Eternal life is resting on prayers and love and the grace of God!
Thank God for Easter!
There is so much to talk about with
Holy Week: with the Institution of the Eucharist, the Passion, the Resurrection,
then Easter Week and the Glorious Season of the Church, when our Lord
walked this earth, "resurrected"! There is so much promised
for each one of us in this... The Gifts of Pentecost... Do you know
that the Church was born when the Roman soldier pierced the side of
Christ, on the Cross, and water and blood poured out? It was always viewed
as the very birth of the Church, the waters of the sacraments and the
blood of Christ… This glorious moment of the Redemption of the world
is offered to us, we can participate right here and now in the sanctification
of the world whenever we acknowledge who Christ is and what he did for
us and whenever we love him and love our neighbor.
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When I see beauty in the intricate design
of a small leaf on the forest floor, a little leaf which just happened
to be in my field of vision and which I could capture thanks to the zoom
of my camera, I am grateful.
When I see a gorgeous sunset with clouds filled with liquid pink, with
the pulsating globe of the sun sinking toward the horizon, I feel refreshed.
I see God's hand in the tenderness of the smile of a child, in the frailty
and dignity of an elderly lady walking slowly - and courageously - to
the corner market.
I see God's hand in the wonderful and moving beauty of a violon player
on a street corner; in the technical and construction feast of the grand
bridges in the world.
In beauty, whether it be fragile or grand, in truth and justice, whether
it be in small increment or in mega-moments of revolution, if it is for
the common good, then it is truly an opportunity to praise God!
"And they said, "Believe
in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household."
Acts 16:31
There is a direct line from the Institution of the Eucharist to the Lord's
Passion and Death and Resurrection and to every Eucharist ever since...
1384 The Lord addresses an invitation to us, urging us to receive
him in the sacrament of the Eucharist: "Truly, I say to you, unless you
eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life
in you."
1385 To respond to this invitation we must prepare ourselves for so great and so holy a moment. St. Paul urges us to examine our conscience: "Whoever, therefore,
eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a man examine himself, and so
eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For any one who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment upon himself." Anyone conscious of
a grave sin must receive the sacrament of Reconciliation before coming to communion.
1386 Before so great a sacrament, the faithful can only echo humbly and with ardent faith the words of the Centurion: "Domine, non sum dignus ut intres sub
tectum meum, sed tantum dic verbo, et sanabitur anima mea" ("Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul will be
healed.").217 and in the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom the faithful pray in the same spirit:
O Son of God, bring me into communion today with your mystical supper.
I shall not tell your enemies the secret, nor kiss you with Judas' kiss.
But like the good thief I cry, "Jesus, remember me when you come into
your kingdom."
Cathechism of the Catholic Church, VI, The Paschal Banquet.
Beautiful Easter eggs hand-painted by my dear aunt Lili
and which were given to me the last time I saw her, a few years ago, in
Sicily.
A small country oratory 5 minutes from the chalet. It
has been there for a long time.... I made a collage with photos of local
flowers. I love these little testimonials to faith and prayers, dotting
the landscape, reminding us at regular interval to focus on God and his
angels and his saints, and I certainly use them to pray along the way!
Blessed be God, blessed be his most Holy
Name!
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