One of my favorite traditions at Easter is the blessing of Easter foods and baskets on Holy Saturday. When I was a kid growing up in a predominantly Polish parish in Chicago, my siblings and I annually lugged several baskets full of the best-smelling Easter foods to the parish hall on Holy Saturday for the blessing of Easter foods known as the Święconka (shveeyen-TSON-kah). Many parishes continue this tradition on Holy Saturday; however, there is […]
The new Directory for Catechesis has many thought-provoking and powerful lines, including the following: “Everything [in faith formation] is oriented toward the mystery of Christ’s passion, death, and resurrection.” (64a) “Catechesis communicates the heart of the faith in an essential and existentially understandable way, bringing each person into contact with the Risen One and helping him to reinterpret and to live the most intense moments of his life as Paschal events.” (64a) I find it […]
Imagine that a terrible storm caused considerable damage to the area you live in, including your home. Once the storm passes, you and your neighbors emerge from your homes to assess the damage. Relief workers and first responders are everywhere, but everything is in chaos. In fact, some scam artists are posing as relief workers and are seeking to take advantage of folks. In order to figure out how to get help for you, your family, […]
We reflect this Easter season on the Glorious Mysteries of the Rosary. Imagine telling all your family and friends that the only thing you wanted for Christmas was a particular gift. You drop hints in every conversation to make sure that someone will get this perfect gift for you. When Christmas morning arrives, you race to the Christmas tree and dig through all the presents until you find that perfectly shaped box. You tear open […]
We reflect this Easter season on the Glorious Mysteries of the Rosary. Have you ever stared at something or someone in wondrous awe? Or felt unprepared to take on a profoundly important mission? Each time I contemplate the Second Glorious Mystery, the Ascension of our Lord, I realize how much Jesus had prepared the disciples for the evangelizing mission that lay ahead and for the time when his work on earth would come to completion. […]
We reflect this Easter season on the Glorious Mysteries of the Rosary. One way of praying that has been very fruitful for me is Ignatian contemplation, which is a way of praying with my imagination. I envision myself as being present inside a story from Scripture, participating in it as it unfolds. When I contemplate the Resurrection, there are so many different scenes and people that fill my mind. Jesus’ Resurrection remains the focus, of […]
We are Easter people! That does not mean that we celebrate Easter with a party, complete with baskets and chocolate bunnies (though I love that iconic confectionary as much as anyone). Being Easter people means that we are animated by the same kind of love that defeated death itself. We are people who see Christ still present and walking among us today—in Scripture, in the sacraments, in the works of mercy, and in one another. […]
One of the most tantalizing details of the Resurrection accounts is the fact that the Risen Jesus enters rooms through locked doors. We read in the Gospels that the Apostles had locked themselves in the upper room in fear after Jesus’ Crucifixion. And yet, the Risen Christ appeared in their midst. (John 20:19) This message is so important for us today, as we find ourselves still in the pandemic, still observing isolation and social-distancing guidelines. […]
When it comes to the 40 days of Lent, most of us have an idea of what to do during this season: pray, fast, and give alms. But what about the 50 days of Easter? What do we do during the Easter season to celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus? Of course we continue to pray, and almsgiving is always in season. Instead of fasting, we feast (not to be confused with gluttonous behavior). But what […]
The Bible is, at its heart, a love story, and Easter reveals the depth of God’s love for us. Within Easter rests the profound truth of our faith: Jesus Christ was crucified, died, and was buried, and rose again on the third day. He died and rose for each one of us. He died and rose because he loves us. This love compels us to shout, “I have seen the Lord!” just as Mary Magdalene […]
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