By Sherry Antonetti

 

Know that the LORD does wonders for his faithful one. ~ Psalm 4:4

It is the third week of Easter, and what have you embraced that shows to the world, “We are an Easter people?” 

For Lent, we allow ourselves to be marked by the cross on our foreheads. We abstain and fast, give something up, take something on, and people know, even if they don’t know precisely what, if we are in Lent, then we are fasting. We look other in some capacity. 

Now is Easter. Now is the time for us to shine like a lamp on a stand. Now is the time to be salt to the Earth, balm to the soul, a salve to the hurting. Now is the time to live Easter visibly. 

How? 

The psalms for today tell us. We must wear the light of His countenance. We must lay all our trials and troubles at His feet. We must live joyfully in a way that allows Christ resurrected to be visible through our words, deeds, and actions. We are to keep Christ’s commandments such that Christ will say, “I know him. I know her.” And likewise, we will be so committed to Christ that we will proclaim, “I know Him and He knows me,” without ever speaking. 

What does it mean? 

It means practicing joy, and joy is deliberate giving of the self, surrendering oneself for others in service, in time, in support, in encouragement, in counsel, and in zeal. It means gifting—just as we did at Christmas, but with our whole selves rather than objects. Look at the apostles, who “silver and gold” had they none, but they gifted their knowing the Risen Christ and allowed Christ to work through them to heal the man’s legs. 

How do we gift our knowledge of the Risen Christ? 1) Pray for others, especially the Glorious Mysteries of the Rosary. 2) Serve others, especially in the Spiritual and Corporeal Acts of Mercy (and do so intentionally), and 3) learn from those who put their fingers in the wounds.

Being an Easter People

Easter is a great season to read the Acts of the Apostles, to delve into knowing what the early Church knew and how they revealed it to the world. Spend these fifty days preparing for Pentecost by praying, “Come Holy Spirit Come.” 

Being an Easter people means always living in joyful hope. It means proclaiming Christ is Risen, and He will come again. To live each moment with each person we encounter, as if that is the only truth that matters because it does and changes everything about life if we know it.

Prayer

Lord, help me celebrate your resurrection in all I think, say and do.

Call to Action

Jesus was fully present to the Apostles and roused them to recognize this reality. Be fully present today to each person you interact with as a form of prayer and sublimation.

 

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