A Note on Easter

Conversion has been a process for me.  Even after I came back to the church, I made some great mistakes.  I continued to stumble and fall.  But when I look back, even to a year or two ago...I have come a long way.  This year my relationship with God has grown exponentially.  I've learned that believing is not enough.  Belief is just the first step of many.  If we are Christian, than we must do as Christ did.  Walk as He did.  Love as He did.  Sacrifice as He did.

In the past, I prayed mostly to God or to Mary.  I did not feel as connected to God the Son as I did God the Father.  Though God blessed me with many things to be thankful for as I grew up, I also dealt with many adult issues at a young age.  God the Father was a comforting figure.  I could rest in Him.  My problems seemed so big.  Too big for a little girl like me.  But to Almighty God they were less than dust.  I could surrender my struggles to Him, and all would be taken care of.  However, it was not until this year that I began to truly understand the importance of Christ.

As an adult, I am attracted to the story of Jesus because of his humanity.  He struggled as I do.  As all of us do. He suffered more than any of us will ever have to, and was courageous in the face of great evil.  I get emotional when I think of Jesus' agony in the garden of Gethsemane.

"'Father if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will but yours be done.' An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground."   Luke 22:42-44

Knowing that he experienced a greater fear than we will ever endure, died, and conquered the grave so that we may live forever gives me unspeakable love for my Lord.  Knowing that he lived, laughed and loved as we do makes him seem more tangible and reachable.  I used to wonder why Easter is considered the highest holiday in the Catholic church.  Though Christmas is holy because it marks the birth of the Savior, Easter is the fulfillment of his purpose on Earth.   This is the first year that I have come to fully realize that.

When "The Passion of the Christ" first came out in theaters a few years ago I didn't see it because I thought it was more important to make a movie about Jesus' life than the manner in which he died.  Looking back now, I feel much differently.  Being God, Jesus could have saved himself.  He could have run or hid, or denied the accusations of the high priests.  He could have stayed away from Jerusalem as his apostles had begged him to do.

But he didn't

There is a reason he allowed himself to go through that pain, and to rise again.  And because his death and resurrection were part of God's plan, it is important for us to understand what he went through.  Though we will never grasp that experience fully, we must do our best to know his sacrifice.  For everything that he sacrificed was for us.  To ignore that, is to ignore His love.  Therefore, I would encourage you to read the last few chapters of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John this week.

As we mourn over the final hours and the death of Jesus over these next few days, so will we celebrate his resurrection this Sunday.  I wish you all a wonderful and happy Easter, as well as a reflective and spiritual final few days of Lent.

God Bless!