Easter now and forever

The story is told about an elderly person who was asked if he has problems with his memory. His response was: “Memory storage is okay. It is memory retrieval that is a problem.”

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Happy Easter! The Lord is risen. We remember with gratitude how He loved us through His death. Today, we celebrate because our Risen Lord is with us still, and we proclaim our firm belief that we will see Him again in His glory. Yes, we remember, we celebrate, and we believe!

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In today’s Gospel (Luke 24:13-35), we hear how the disciples did not recognize the Risen Lord on their way to Emmaus. Too engrossed in the conversation and debate, they failed to acknowledge His presence in their midst. We miss out on a lot of important things in our journey when we use only or mostly our heads and do not “see” with our hearts.

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To recognize means to identify or remember someone or something we encountered before. Literally, it means to know again (from the Latin root words “re” (again) and “cognoscere” (to know)). The Lord is with us always and in all ways and there will always be something or someone there to remind us of His presence and His love. May we learn to focus more on the Lord, and less on ourselves.

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May the Lord not just be a memory, but a real, ongoing presence in our lives. May we recognize Him, and acknowledge Him in our hearts, in people around us, especially in the little ones and “no-ones” in our midst, and in the “breaking of the bread.”

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“Were not our hearts burning within us while He spoke to us on the way and opened the Scriptures to us?” (Luke 24:32) When was the last time you felt, recognized, and acknowledged the presence of God in your journey? When was the last time you allowed God to just embrace you? No words. Just His presence, real, sure, overwhelming, heartwarming, and true. “Be still, and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10)

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Let us not just remember Easter, let us not just celebrate Easter, let us live and relive Easter, and become Easter persons who share peace, joy, hope, and love, wherever we go, whatever we do.

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I am writing this column in our Mission House Chapel as the morning sun comes shining through. What a beautiful moment to see the first rays and feel the warmth of the sun. New Day. New Life. Fresh start. New beginnings. Still alive. Still in remission from cancer, still in mission for the Lord and the Blessed Mother. Lord, thank you for another Easter morning!

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If there was no Easter, then life ends in death; nothing follows; no continuation; the end. But, because there is Easter, we believe that life goes on; there is continuation, death is not the end. We will meet our Lord again, and our departed loved ones and friends, in that Kingdom where there’s no more tears, no more sadness, no more issues and problems, no more injustice, and no more goodbyes, where the Lord lives and reigns forever. Amen!

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“See you in Heaven!” For us who believe in Easter, this greeting is not foolish at all. It expresses our hope and wishes that we will be united again with the Lord and our departed loved ones after we have done our mission in this world. “We believe in the communion of Saints, the forgiveness of sins, the Resurrection of the body, and life everlasting.” Amen.

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Beyond Easter bunny and Easter eggs, wishing you all an Easter filled with hope and grace.

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A moment with the Lord.

Lord, help us to live Easter now, and forever. Amen.

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