By  Angela Koenig

 

 

“They put him to death by hanging him on a tree;
but God raised him on the third day and allowed him to appear,
not to all the people but to us who were chosen by God as witnesses,
and who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead.”
– Acts 10:39b-41

 

This is the Day the Lord Has Made

Easter has always been my favorite holiday, and I feel incredibly blessed when I wake on Easter morn to a beautiful sunny sky and fresh flower buds pushing their way through the soil. But this is not always the case when you live in Wisconsin. Many Easter mornings in my life have been cloudy, muddy, and, yes, often snowy. 

Yet, regardless of the weather, it is always a day of rejoicing filled with love. 

What a beautiful connection this image can have to our spiritual lives. 

We dream of basking in the sun, a gentle breeze creating the perfect atmosphere, birds singing, and flowers blooming – the ideal moment. But often, the ideal vanishes, and we find ourselves surrounded by mud and the haze of the human condition, blinding us from the glory we are invited into. 

What a gift that God is with us in both places. Today’s feast reminds us that the tree He was hung on is now our symbol of hope. It was meant to humiliate, but instead, it was made Holy. Jesus’s suffering shows us a once inconceivable love, a love that conquered death.  

Let Us Rejoice and Be Glad

What a truly glorious day this is! Christ died for our sins, but now He is risen. He is risen indeed! Every year, the Church gives us this reminder through Her liturgy. We don’t celebrate Christ’s victory once as something solely in the past, we are called to remember His passion every Friday, and we rejoice in His triumph every Sunday. 

And rejoice, we will! We are invited to feast with Him, to eat and drink with Him, at every Holy Mass offered on the altar. So that whether the sun is shining or the rain is falling in our lives, we are never so far from His love and mercy.   

Death has been conquered; Christ is victorious. May this truth forever find a home in our hearts, and may His grace forever fill our souls so that when we face the storm clouds in life, the radiant light of the Sun will always lead us to Christ victorious. 

 

Prayer

Rejoice on this beautiful Feast Day, remembering the goodness of God and His victory over death! Let us also remember in our prayers those who may feel the sting of death and loss. 

While their mourning may feel far from blessed, may they find peace in knowing God’s grace will comfort them. 

Call to Action

 Heavenly Father, we come to you with gratitude for all the gifts you have given us. May Your power alone rule in our lives, that through You, we too may be victorious over sin and death, all for Your greater glory! Amen. Alleluia!

 

© 2023 WINE — All Rights Reserved