March 27, 2005: Easter Love

+ EASTER SUNDAY

“On the third day, He rose again in fulfillment of the Scriptures.” That line comes from our weekly Profession of Faith. And that “third day” we speak about is the day we now celebrate.

On Friday, Jesus Christ truly died like any human being does—but now He is just as truly alive again, just as He had said! The Church shouts “Alleluia!” in great awe and joy.

But really, what’s this all about? Our Messiah… our God-Man… lived and died and was resurrected 2,000 years ago. What does this have to do with you or me? We’ve gathered in this pretty church in Cullom, Illinois, to usher in Easter… but many other people are celebrating not by going to Mass, but with marshmallow chicks and chocolate bunny rabbits. What exactly are we doing here?

Not too many months ago, a parishioner of mine—a husband, father and grandfather—died quite suddenly and unexpectedly while home alone one morning. As I celebrated the wake and funeral, I was quite struck by the incredible sadness, and perhaps we can even say the unfairness, that seemed to be associated with this man’s sudden death.

I remember that his wife made the comment that his death came at such an inconvenient time. But when’s a convenient time to die? I guess we can imagine some situations where death might bring blessed relief to suffering, but I don’t know if we could ever call a person’s death “convenient.”

There is a question, though, that is worth thinking about. It’s a question that death puts into perspective for us. What is the best use of our time while we are alive?

Should we spend our time simply enjoying our lives? Should we spend our time helping others? Should we spend our time showing those who are dearest to us that we love them?

I think most of us would agree that we should divide our time among these three things, yet it’s a real challenge to focus on any of them in our daily lives.

There are so many things we should be thankful for each day, but it’s hard to find the time to adequately reflect on our lives and our blessings to appreciate what we have. As we grow older and our lives become more hectic, time passes too quickly. But in the end we are eventually forced to face our own mortality as we experience the passing of friends and loved ones.

So maybe the question we should focus on is: What is the best use of what remains of our time here?

In the end, each of us has to be not just satisfied that we did everything we were capable of doing with our life, but we have to be at peace with what we did in life.

Our Catholic faith is crystal clear that at the moment of death, we are not merely extinguished. Oh no. Like Jesus Himself, we are resurrected to new life. To be sure, life is transformed from earthly life to eternal life, but it is real life nonetheless. And how we spend that eternity depends on how we believed and how we lived in this earthly life.

You see, to be at peace with what we do in life is always going to be a reflection of how we relate to God and of how we treat others. And truthfully, the answer is simpler than the question. The great mystery of life—why we are here and what the purpose of life is—is really just a matter of love. Love for yourself. Love for God. Love for others.

You love yourself by being patient with yourself when you mess up. You don’t make yourself crazy by always comparing yourself to others. You let go of hurts and grudges. You do the things that give you joy. You’re grateful to God for His blessings, and to others for their kindnesses. You take the time you need to pamper yourself a little and recharge your batteries when necessary. You take care of your health—both physical and mental.

You love God by talking to Him every day in prayer—whether it’s reciting your favorite prayers from a well-worn prayer book or simply enjoying His Creation around you. You do your best to form your conscience to guide your life in the way God wants you to live. You consider Him in the way you act and the way you form your attitudes.

And you love others by your kindness toward them. Your patience, your quickness to forgive or overlook slights and injuries. Your ability to smile and stop the gossip. Your going the extra mile to do a good deed for others. Your praying for people—friends and foes alike. Practicing the Golden Rule.

You can wait until your funeral to hear how well you’re doing—but that’s kind of late. I think Easter is a perfect time to do a little self-examination and see if you are a person “at peace” with who you are. If not, maybe a mini-resurrection is in order to fix things before it’s time for the real deal.

You know, it was a little eerie. When I left the cemetery after laying to rest that man I spoke about a little while ago, I turned on the radio to hear “All You Need Is Love” by the Beatles. It struck me that that is all we really need.

On this most blessed and holy Festival Day of Easter, may Our Risen Lord reach out and touch your heart and bless you with His infinite love. Amen. Alleluia!