In Focus
Embracing the boundless joy of
BY PAUL SENZ OSV News
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The stained glass window of the Resurrected Christ is found in St. Paul Church, Princeton. File photo
he Resurrection of Jesus Christ is at the heart of the Christian faith. This is the point at which God defeated death and reconciled the world to himself, forging a new and eternal covenant with his people. The Resurrection is so important that the early Christians quickly began to commemorate it every week, on Sunday. Of course, it is celebrated in a special way each year at Easter. When Jesus prophesied his own suffering and death, his apostles refused to accept it; it was unthinkable for them. Imagine their horror when the man they thought was the Messiah was hung upon a Cross to die, slowly and painfully. Then, imagine their joy when three days later: an empty tomb! The Lord walking among them once again! Easter is a time of pure and boundless joy. The Easter season lasts 50 days, from Easter Sunday until Pentecost. The joy that comes from the Resurrection cannot be contained in a single day. The long tradition of the Church has passed down to us numerous ways to cultivate Easter joy in the weeks and months following Easter Sunday. One way of cultivating Easter joy that the Church provides is to celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus Christ by receiving him – body, blood, soul and divinity – in the Eucharist. Every Sunday is set aside as a special celebration of the Resurrection, a commemoration of Christ’s victory over death; but we must bear in mind that every celebration of the Mass makes present the sacrifice of Christ on the Cross, and celebrates his glorious Resurrection. In that sense, there is no better time than Easter Continued on 10
March 2024
THE MONITOR MAGAZINE 9