Happy Second Week of Easter!
We celebrate the great 50 Days of the Easter Season. Lent is only 40 days, but Easter has 50 days. The number is significant. Why? Because we take more time to focus on the fact that God raised Jesus from the dead to remind us about God’s abundant mercy. Don’t get me wrong, Good Friday is very important. Without the sacrifice of the Cross, without His dying, we would not have seen the lengths to which God went to save us. And, without Jesus’ death, there would be no reason for His Resurrection. However, without Easter and Jesus’ Resurrection, Good Friday would just be another day.
I believe that the Resurrection is one reason why Blessed Louis Brisson, OSFS, our Founder, told us:
We should say Alleluia at least a hundred times a day. By that I mean that we should say it at every moment and in every circumstance. We should say Alleluia when we are happy, but this Alleluia will not be worth much if we do not say it when we encounter suffering (Blessed Louis Brisson, OSFS, Cor ad Cor, the entry for Easter Monday).
Blessed Louis Brisson, OSFS
Alleluia translates to “God be praised.” It is much easier to praise God when we are happy, when things are going well. We don’t always remember to do that in the good times. Yes, it is easier to praise God, to sing or say Alleluia, when things are going well and life is good.
It is more difficult to do so when we encounter suffering and life is not going as we wish. I recently visited one of our confreres who is in rehab following surgery. He was still suffering so I told him that I wished that I could take all the pain away. He answered, “Well, we can’t. Suffering and pain are part of life. Healing most often comes through the pain and after it.” Our conversation reminded me about the need to sing Alleluia when we encounter suffering. It often keeps me focused on the broader picture, that a time without suffering and/or with less pain, will come. That is part of the promised Resurrection. We can find light in the midst of darkness. We can sing or say Alleluia!
We have experienced shootings in schools, workplaces and public settings. Where is a reason to sing or say Alleluia there? In response to people who say that prayers are not enough, talking about doing something is not enough either. So to take action, students work to raise consciousness and legislators create bills for discussion to address all the issues involved. More minds and hearts begin to change so that we see some action. Remember, actions speak louder than words. That is part of the promised Resurrection. We can find light in the midst of darkness. We can sing or say Alleluia!
A recent news story about medics serving wounded soldiers in Ukraine told how they try to offer realistic hope as they attend to the soldiers’ needs. The medics live in an abandoned home where they make and share meals, shed tears over those who die or whose bodies and spirits are forever changed, sing, dance and play games so that they can find and feel life in the midst of the pain and suffering, death and destruction that are their daily existence. Their work and coping mechanisms offer us a glimpse of the promised Resurrection. We can sing or say Alleluia!
There is much in the world and in our lives that can bring us down and make us feel as if life is a perpetual Lent. However, the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ shouts out that death and darkness are not the last word. Pain and suffering do not have the upper hand - life and light do. The Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ has changed everything. And we take 50 days to celebrate that, to sing or say Alleluia!
Look for the signs of light and life in our world. Be signs of light and life in our world. Show the Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ in your words, deeds and attitudes. It can be something as simple as a smile at someone or helping a person who needs a door opened or bags carried, greeting someone whom others ignore. Tell a story that brings laughter or the blessing of a memory or person or event long forgotten. Tell how you have found light in the midst of darkness or recovery when you were in despair. You can also do the bigger things like visit someone, write letters to influence representatives and legislation or be with someone who is in need of comfort.
In other words, “Live+Jesus.” Show the Risen Christ in your flesh and blood. And sing or say Alleluia a hundred times a day. How often have you done that today?
Father Paul Colloton, OSFS
Superior, De Sales Centre Oblate Residence
Childs, MD
