The occasional, often ill-considered thoughts of a Roman Catholic permanent deacon who is ever grateful to God for his existence. Despite the strangeness we encounter in this life, all the suffering we witness and endure, being is good, so good I am sometimes unable to contain my joy. Deo gratias!


Although I am an ordained deacon of the Catholic Church, the opinions expressed in this blog are my personal opinions. In offering these personal opinions I am not acting as a representative of the Church or any Church organization.

Sunday, April 4, 2021

Easter Joy

He is risen!
He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

This traditional Catholic Easter greeting and response has some ancient roots. Many years ago my eighth-grade teacher, a Dominican sister, told her class that this greeting is simply another form of the greeting of the angel when Mary Magdalene and the other women arrived at the tomb to find it empty. As we read in Matthew, the angel told them: “He is not here; for He has risen” [Mt 28:6].

How often, today, do we hear this greeting, among family, between friends, and even between strangers who might meet on the street on Easter? Unfortunately, it’s a rare thing to be greeted in this wonderful way. And yet, one doesn’t have to go back too many years to find a time when such greetings were commonplace. I know for certain that many of the parents and grandparents of people my age would extend this or a similar Easter greeting to anyone they encountered on this holiest of days. 

Too often today — and I’m as guilty as any — we simply say “Happy Easter!” This, of course, is the semi-secular greeting least likely to offend. I suppose it can be just as applicable to the Easter bunny as it is to the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. I’ll admit, though, even this greeting can sometimes have an unexpected positive outcome. Yesterday, as I took my receipt from the checker at a local supermarket, I said, “Happy Easter!” She looked up at me, surprised and smiling, and responded with, “Happy Easter to you too.” So I’m really not going to criticize anyone for saying, “Happy Easter!” But I still believe we will have lost something, something very precious, if we abandon the ancient greeting of “He is risen!” The world needs to be reminded of the fact of the Resurrection. It is our greatest source of hope, the hope of eternal life in a world seemingly trapped in so much despair. Let the hope-filled words of the angel echo in our families, our communities, and throughout the entire world today. Today and every Easter let everyone you meet know the Good News of the Gospel: 

He is risen!  He is risen indeed! Alleluia!


 

1 comment:


  1. Catholic must know Dogma > Ripped from your soul.

    If you're at all interested in knowing ... the Catholic Dogma ... that we *must believe* to
    get to Heaven, and which you have *never* seen ...

    I list it on my website > > www.Gods-Catholic-Dogma.com

    And no ... the anti-Christ vatican-2 heretic cult (founded in 1965) is not the Catholic Church (founded in 33 A.D.).

    Currently ... you are outside the Catholic Church and so ... have no chance of getting to Heaven.

    Physical participation in a heretic cult (vatican-2, lutheran, evangelical, etc) ... automatically excommunicates you from the Catholic Church (that is, Christianity) >
    www.Gods-Catholic-Dogma.com/section_13.2.2.html

    Mandatory ... Abjuration of heresy to enter the Catholic Church >
    www.Gods-Catholic-Dogma.com/section_40.html

    Dogma that one must Abjure to leave the vatican-2 heretic cult and enter the Catholic Church >
    www.Gods-Catholic-Dogma.com/section_40.1.html

    The BIBLE says ... 15 TIMES ... it is not the authority on Faith,
    the BIBLE says the Church in it's Dogma and Doctrine ... is the authority on Faith and the definition of the Catholic Faith ... www.Gods-Catholic-Dogma.com/section_6.html

    The Catholic God knows ... what we think and believe ...

    Catholic writing of Romans 1:21 >
    "They ... became vain in their thoughts, and their foolish heart was darkened."

    Catholic Faith (pre-fulfillment) writing of Deuteronomy 31:21 >
    "For I know their thoughts, and what they are about to do this day."

    Catholic Faith (pre-fulfillment) writing of Job 21:27 >
    "Surely I know your thoughts, and your unjust judgments against Me."

    Regards - Victoria

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