The story is told about two youngsters having a conversation while playing with their computer games.
The first one said: “My mother will have a hysterectomy.”
The second one asked: “What’s that?”
“I don’t know, but I heard my father say that once mother gets it, she will no longer be hysterical,” was the other’s nonchalant reply.
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It’s Easter Sunday. In today’s Gospel (Jn. 20 1-9) we hear of Mary Magdalene discovering the empty tomb. That first Easter morning was filled with “hysterical” moments. There was awe, disbelief, amazement, confusion and lots of running! Awesome, that first Easter morning!
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Do we still become hysterical about Easter, or do we look at it as just something historical? Does Easter still bring excitement and joy in our faces, and warmth in our hearts? It should. After all, isn’t Easter the central event of our faith? Beyond the hysterical, beyond the historical, Easter must be personal.
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How you and I feel this Easter morning depends a lot on how we spent the Holy Week. As the saying goes, we reap what we sow. Input equals output. If we walked the week the way of the cross, then this Easter is glorious and refreshing. If we did no “walking” at all, then we have not moved on, and nothing qualitatively new has happened.
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The gift of Easter is not only the gift of salvation; it is also the gift of hope. Easter brings with it the promise of fresh start and new beginnings. What a consolation to know that life does not end in death, and that eternity awaits. All our sufferings, deprivations and persecutions lead to something beautiful and enduring. All the goodness we have done will not come to nothing.
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Easter also reminds us that our God is a God of surprises, a God of second chances, and a God of constant assurances. With this is mind, our earthly journey through this “valley of tears” is meaningful, and so filled with peace, confidence, and hope.
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Is there life after death? I had a stunning conversation this Holy Week with a person who has had two near-death experiences. The first happened when he was in his wild 30s. All he can remember was experiencing total and heavy darkness. As he passed through, he told me that he was attacked from all sides by darker, jelly-like creatures or substances which he could not describe. But all he could remember were the terrifying fear and the deep loneliness he went through while he was in it. And he remembers crying out to God: “Is this hell? Please help me!” And then he came back to life.
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The second near-death experience he had was when he was in his late 40s. According to him, he was “no longer that wild but still a little wayward.” This time he described waiting in line with people all dressed in black robes, with hoods over their heads to hide their faces. All he could remember was the long waiting in line. There was no fear nor loneliness, but there was that solemn, silent atmosphere. And then he was met by a man who he thought was St. Peter. But on closer look, he said, he identified the man as St. Joseph who asked him if he wanted to come in already. “Not yet, please, I still want to fix my family,” he replied, and that’s when he woke up. Purgatory?
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Our conversation ended up with him saying: “I hope next time I experience death, it will be St. Peter meeting me already at the gates of heaven.” He said it in jest, and I caught myself saying out loud, “Me too!” Indeed, that is our deepest hope—eternity, where there will be no more tears, no more pain, no more sorrow, no more sadness. Amen!
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In the meantime, our journey continues, and our mission goes on. In the renewal of our baptismal promises at Easter, we rejected Satan and his works, and promised once again to serve God faithfully. Along with this, may we renew our resolve to sow love along our way, not hatred nor violence; and to help our country and our people, along with our resolve to help save and heal Mother Earth and nature.
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On a personal note, let us move out from whatever “dead spots” we have in our lives. Maybe we no longer have hysterical Easters, but let us relive that first historical Easter and turn it to a personal Easter which we hope will overflow into a national Easter, and beyond that, a global Easter. Wishful thinking? With Easter, nothing is impossible.
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We would like to thank the following for their invaluable help in the airing of our Lenten TV Special “On a Road Less Travelled” over ABS-CBN last Holy Thursday and Good Friday: Moments with Fr. Jerry Foundation; Petrona Lim and family; Oscar Violago and family; Executive Resources Inc.; Gullivers Travel Association; Petro Tours; Gothong Southern; Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office; Calapan Ventures Inc.; Bridgestones; Max’s; Pagcor; Iremit Global Remittance; Republic Biscuit Association; Royal Industrial Development Corporation. Thank you so much! Happy Easter everyonea!
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A moment with the Lord:
Lord, beyond hysterical or historical, help me to make Easter personal. Amen.