April 12, 2009: Easter Sunday

Happy Easter!

Peter opened his mouth and said, “I believe you know the word which was proclaimed throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee after the baptism which John preached: how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power; how Jesus went about doing good and healing all that were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. And we are witnesses to all that he did both in the country of Galilee and in Jerusalem. He was put to death by hanging 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. (Acts 10:34, 37-41)

Happy Easter! After forty days of Lent, we now enjoy fifty days of celebration! Easter is a season, not just a day. What a wonderful time of the year to celebrate Jesus’ resurrection, when so much in nature is coming to life. For the next fifty days we will read in the Scriptures about the Risen Christ and how Jesus’ new life affected the first Christians.

Action:

No doubt you will go to church with your family for Easter Mass or a Resurrection Service. Take a walk today. Notice all that’s coming alive in nature. Thank God for raising Jesus and for the promise that we, too, will be raised to new life. Remember the words from the Acts of the Apostles “we are witnesses.” Although we were not living when Jesus walked the earth, through our baptism we have become his brothers and sisters. Because of our baptism we are witnesses, too, to the Good News that Jesus lives among us through the power of the Holy Spirit. What does it mean for you to be a witness to the Risen Christ?