Dear Parish Family,
Many of us habitually put off fun and relaxation to a later time. “I can’t relax now,” we say, “I have so much to do.”
Certainly, part of maturity is learning to prioritize our tasks and delay gratification, but many people with classic American “Type A” personalities are compulsively drawn to the next item on our To-Do list. And having fun, relaxing, and enjoying life is never on the list.
Over time, this attitude of always needing to delay celebration so we can manage the mundane takes a toll on us. As John Lennon famously said, “Life is what happens while we’re busy making other plans.”
So, let us be clear: today is a day to claim for celebration! We must not put it off. Rejoicing is now at the top of our To-Do list. And not just today, but this whole season of Easter, which stretches from April 17 through to the Feast of Pentecost on June 5. We must celebrate and rejoice. We owe God that.
After all that Jesus did for us…
after giving his life so that we could live
after revealing that death is just an illusion
after teaching us that every cross we face will be followed by a resurrection
after promising that every Good Friday will lead us to an Easter Sunday, if we are willing to live through it without fleeing…
…after all of that, we owe God the pleasure of seeing us happy. We ought to give our
Creator the delight of seeing our joy and gratitude.
Many of us Catholics are very good at Lent. We like giving things up and cataloging all of our sins and failures, because it reminds us of the uncompleted To Do list that rules our lives. But, friends… Lent is over. Whatever good intentions we had that were left undone, too bad. It’s over. Christ rose from the dead without our help. It turns out it was never our hard work that could raise him, it was the power of the love of God.
“This is the day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad!” And that’s an order!
Happy Easter!
Father Scott