“We are Easter people – anchored in the truth that love is stronger than death.”
The passage this morning quotes Pope St. John Paul II, Easter Vigil Homily, 1986 –
“Christ is risen and with Him comes hope, joy and a future full of life and promise”
I can’t seem to find the words to truly express my feelings today.
Mass this morning was beautiful. It was full of light and hope and was filled to the walls with a worshiping and joyful congregation.
There was laughter and a sense of community.
It was joyful and I left with a feeling of peace and gratitude.
Yet, as I write this I also feel quiet inside.
I feel humbled…
I feel peaceful…
I feel blessed…
And I feel God’s love.
I wish you and your family a beautiful Easter Sunday. May God’s love fill your hearts and inspire you to “live in the light of the risen Christ”.
Alleluia! Risen Lord, we celebrate Your victory over darkness today. Thank You for the gift of new life and the joy that never ends. Fill our hearts with Your light and let our lives reflect Your glorious hope. Amen!
Growing up, Holy Saturday was a very special day. Some of my earliest memories were going to my grandparents’ house on Holy Saturday for the food blessing.
Every year, my grandmother created and wrapped beautiful Easter baskets for each of us. They were filled with toys, chocolates, and all the Easter fun you could imagine.
But…in addition to those, it’s Polish tradition to create baskets filled with foods to be blessed and eaten on Easter Sunday.
Traditional Polish Easter Basket items included:
Butter – often shaped like a lamb or a cross representing the “Lamb of God”
Easter Bread (Babka) – Representing the “Bread of Life”
Horseradish – Represents the Passion of Christ and the bitterness of His suffering.
Decorated Eggs – New life & Christ’s resurrection
Sausage (Kielbasa) – God’s favor, generosity and the end of fasting.
Ham – Joy and Abundance
Salt – Represents purification, prosperity and a reminder to be the “salt of the earth”
Cheese – Moderation in all things
Candle – Light of the world
Colorful ribbons and sprigs of greenery to decorate the basket as symbols of new life and joy in the season of spring
So, part of the tradition was filling our own baskets to take to church with my grandmother for the blessing.
Mind you, many times the blessing was in Polish, so we didn’t always understand what was being said, but in some way…we knew. And we knew being there, with my grandmother, is what made the moment special.
It was a beautiful tradition and when my children were young we still drove an hour each way to go to my grandma’s house on Holy Saturday.
I miss my grandparents dearly, and I miss that tradition. Truth is, we tried to carry it on for a while after she passed but it never was quite the same.
I got off track there for a bit…
Today’s passage reminds us that Holy Saturday is “a day of waiting. No miracles. No appearances. Just silence and the aching stillness of loss”.
This year…Holy Saturday for me is about more than just getting ready for Easter Sunday. It’s about the mystery of the Resurrection. It’s about “offering grief and holding onto hope”.
So…we wait.
Today, not only will I recall the traditions of my childhood, I’ll simply “rest in the truth that God is still moving – even when unseen.”
“Lord Jesus, in this quiet stillness, we wait with you. Replace our doubt with trust in your promise as we look with hope toward the dawn of your resurrection. Amen.”
”Good Friday is the still point of history – when love and suffering meet on the Cross.”
So what are your plans for today?
As a child, I remember my mom going to Adoration on Holy Thursday and we were part of the living stations of the cross on Good Friday.
Sadly, in my adult life, Holy Thursday and Good Friday were sometimes glossed over.
They were days we used to run around and prepare for Easter Sunday.
But this year, I think because of this writing project, I’m humbled.
The three day mystery of the Triduum is at the forefront of my reflection.
I deeply appreciate and acknowledge that we only celebrate Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday because of Holy Thursday and Good Friday.
It’s a time when love and suffering…two words that we typically wouldn’t use together become our focus.
Today, we Honor those words. We remember His love and His suffering…for us.
So…I’m overwhelmed…I’m in awe…I’m humbled…I’m filled with gratitude…
And, I’m also sorrowful…
The thought of the agony Christ endured for us is really too much to comprehend.
The violence, the anger, the torture, the humiliation, the ultimate sacrifice.
I don’t have words powerful enough to describe my reflection of the events of this day.
What He endured for me…and for you.
For each and every one of us.
I pray we take some time today to reflect. To remember and to Honor.
To take up our own cross and respond with total love.
The passage today says “the mystery of Good Friday is not one of despair, but of love willing to descend into death for the sake of our redemption”.
So today, let’s kneel before the crucified Christ and feel…
really feel, the outpouring of His love.
“We are invited to stay close, to weep, to wonder and to let ourselves be transformed.”
“Crucified Lord, pierce my heart with your love, that I may never grow numb to Your mercy. Amen.”
PS – I saw a beautiful prayer on social media today that I’d like to share with you:
Today, do not forget to say these words to Jesus:
Dear Lord, on this Good Friday, I thank You for carrying the cross that I could not bear. By Your stripes, I am healed. By Your love, I am forgiven. By Your sacrifice, I am redeemed. By Your grace, I am saved. By Your victory, I no longer fear death. By Your resurrection, I can face tomorrow. By Your Word, I find the way. By Your promise, my heart is filled with hope. May all glory be to You – my Savior, my King! Amen.
“Today we are invited to partake – not as spectators but as beloved friends.”
We reflect on the night Jesus was betrayed and the gift he gave us. The most precious gift…his living body and blood poured out in love.
Sometimes we forget that through the Eucharist He becomes one with us. He nourishes our souls in ways that nothing else can.
It’s a time to remember his sacrifice and marvel at his love.
I grew up attending mass weekly. Without fail. My mom was the cantor at 10:30 mass each week and even if we had friends sleep over on Saturday nights, come Sunday morning…we all got up and went to mass.
No questions, no excuses. We all went to church.
I went through a period of many years in my life when attending mass was on the back burner.
We were raising a young family. Days and weekends seemed to blur together as we juggled travel sports, activities, and a thousand other responsibilities that consumed our time.
I look back on those days now and I wonder how we managed it all.
And what I now realize is…we didn’t do it alone.
Admittedly, time spent in church was scarce and felt pretty much impossible…
And I carried guilt for a long time that I didn’t manage to instill that same dedication of faith I was raised with into my own young family.
Don’t get me wrong, I prayed regularly, my kids went to CCD and received all of their sacraments and I always taught them to act with kindness and love, but faith was more in the background of our lives rather than front and center.
And yet, somehow, someway, day in and day out, we managed to get everyone exactly where they needed to be, doing exactly what they needed to do.
So I think that was God.
God was with still with me, holding my life together, walking along side me and patiently waiting for me to return.
To Return!
I just had a lightbulb moment as I typed those words…
…waiting for me to Return.
This Lenten season, on Hallow Pray 40, the theme was ‘The Return’.
If you read my Introduction post at the beginning of this Lenten project, you know I prayed for God to lead me. To help me find the words to write about His presence in my life this Lent…and just now, he once again proved was listening.
I have not, even once, used the word Return throughout this blog series.
Yet, here I am, in the early morning hours of Holy Thursday seeing that word spill out onto my screen.
That…is…God.
I have no doubt He sent me that word.
He’s with me now and He’s been with me all along.
Over the past few years, attending weekly mass has been a constant. It’s become the focus of my week and receiving the Eucharist is now what helps ground me.
So what I’ve learned from these writings, is that even though Lent is coming to a close, my journey, my Return to God, and my faith is just beginning.
Dear Jesus, quiet my heart and teach me to love with humility and grace. Help me remember Your sacrifice and trust Your love more deeply today. Amen.
