1. To be a Christian is to believe in the Resurrection of Christ. We are not Christians because we believe in the cross, suffering, and death. We are Christians because we believe in the Resurrection, in liberation, in life, and in joy.
At the bottom of our heart, we must have the security that all trial transforms into grace, all sadness into joy, and all death into resurrection.
If we wish, there will not be one single moment of our existence which cannot be free of the splendid joy of Easter. The true Christian is incapable of living on the fringe of joy. By Christ, he/she has been introduced and installed into joy, surrendered to joy. In his/her life, failure can no longer exist; neither sin, nor suffering, nor death can be for him/her insurmountable obstacles. Everything is prime material for redemption, for resurrection since at the center of his/her sin, his/her sufferings and his/her death, is Jesus Christ, Victor. For that reason, the greatest sufferings and the best joys can co-exist, intimately united in the bosom of the same life.
2. But, we experience so many temptations to resist. Accepting to believe in joy is almost accepting to renounce our very selves, our experiences, our lack of confidence, our complaints. Our joy is the measure of our attachment to God, to confidence, to hope, and to faith. Our “no” to happiness is our “no” to God. God occupies in our lives the same place as joy.
3. The Fathers of the Church would say that there is only one way to cure sadness: to stop loving it. To believe in God is to believe that He is capable of making us happy, of showing us a life we wish to prolong for all eternity. Because for many of us, the difficult question is not in knowing if we have faith in the resurrection, rather it is in knowing if we have the desire to resurrect…..not in our small, egotistical, painful and blind life. If this would be done, prolonging this life indefinitely, would be more of a punishment that a recompense.
4. Therefore, faith in the Resurrection can only come forth from true love. Christ has let us know that love which does not pass: “Faith and hope will pass, but charity (love) lives forever.”
Our faith, our hope of resurrecting, for us and others, depends closely on our ability to resurrect…..they are according to the measure of our power to love.
5. In order to be able to experience a life of love and faith, we have to die to our faults, to our sadness, and to our resentments. There is no Easter for us if we do not accept dying in this area of our soul where we are so much alive: in our agitations, our fears, our interests, and our selfishness…..and if we do not accept resurrecting in that area where we are so dead: resurrect to peace, to faith, to hope, to love, and to joy.
There is no Easter without a good confession: a dying to ourselves, a dying to our caprices which are our sins…..in order to resurrect to the will of Christ who is love, hope, renewal, affection.
There is no Easter without an Easter communion: a leaving of our customs, a leaving of our bread and life…..in order to taste another bread, another life, a bread of sincerity, of surrender to others, a life of love, faith and joy.
That is the feast of Easter: a change of life, a passing from this life to another admirable, marvelous life which will be our life forever, in the house of the Heavenly Father.
Questions for reflection
1. To what measure am I a joyful Christian?
2. Am I capable of renouncing my caprices for love of Christ?
3. How do I imagine the Resurrection?
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Translation: Carlos Cantú Family Federation La Feria, Texas USA 031209
