- Easter Love -

[A post steal-borrowed from my old blog ..... April 6, 2012]

I stumbled into this quote this morning: "Everything that is and ever was and ever will be -- the galaxies beyond number and the microbes beyond notice -- everything is mysteriously entangled with what happened, with what happens, in these three days." -Fr. Richard John Neuhaus

I love this. It's so true, isn't it? As I read it over and over again, my mind started spinning through the Holy Week traditions and the Paschal mystery in its culmination. Holy moly. We're Catholic... But what do these days and mysteries actually mean to us and our faiths? Do we know?

For an awesome two minute "scratch the surface" Holy Week blurb, check out this video!

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If that video left you aching to hear some of my early morning thoughts, join me with a cup of coffee and keep reading. ;)

Back to my beginning thought: we're Catholic. But the Catholic Church's education methods need to be flipped upside down and rejuvenated and started back at square one. Energy should come from the bottom-->up instead of the top-->down. Yeah? Our catechism isn't taught well, and confirmed adult Catholics are going out into the "real world" unsure of what kind of faith they actually profess. The Church's statistics tell us that, on an average weekend, 75% of people in the pews have no idea why we do what we do OR why is our Mass so traditional and meaningful. Is that the Church's fault, or is that our faults?

During the entire liturgical year, Easter should be the one thing we look forward to for weeks and weeks and then celebrate for even more weeks and weeks. Easter defines us. "We are an Easter people, and 'Alleluia!' is our song." But what do we look forward to during this holy season? Candy and eggs? :/

What is this Holy Week business all about?

On Holy Thursday, we wash the feet of others to serve as Jesus served. And in the Christian way, we celebrate the Jewish feast of Passover. In Exodus, the Israelites marked their door posts with the blood of a spring lamb. Upon seeing this, the Angel of Death would pass over their houses and spare their families. Get it? Passover? So after the lamb was killed every year in the Passover, the Jews had to eat it. Because, well, if you didn't eat the lamb, you died. Our Last Supper and Holy Thursday Mass is the institution of the Eucharist; at the Last Supper, Jesus said something like, "Eat this bread. Drink this cup. Do this in memory of me." Live in me forever, and you will not hunger or thirst.

On Good Friday, Jesus goes to trial, is sentenced, and is crucified.  When he says, "It is finished," as he hangs on the cross, he isn't talking about his work on earth. Say whaaa? Why not? Because he still has to rise! He's referring to the old covenant. Think back to the Old Testament. All of Israel's history is basically summed up in cups, and there are three:

• first cup = passed in welcoming
• second cup = passed with bitter herbs to remind the Jews of slavery
• third cup = passed with bread (manna of the desert) to remind of union with God

But when Jesus comes to earth, he instates a fourth cup of consummation or blessing, and he doesn't drink this cup until he is on the cross. ...Wine on a hyssop branch in all the gospels, yeah no?! At the Passover, the Jews used hyssop branches to spread lamb's blood on the house.

So many things from the Old Testament are entangled with the New Testament. And both Testaments are entangled with our modern day Masses. It makes sense in a mysterious way... 

Ok, so here's the New Testament thing: Jesus IS the lamb! [The "lamb" with a capital L.] Handed over for our offenses, crushed and sacrificed for our sins. So as this fourth cup of wine goes up to Jesus's mouth, he says he's the Lamb of the new covenant. (Matthew 26 – “…this is the blood which seals my covenant…”) The old supper of the old covenant has finally come to an end. Look back to the Holy Thursday paragraph: "...if you didn't eat the lamb, you died..."  Jesus promises that participating in the Eucharist and eating the Paschal Lamb will give us everlasting life.

The Eucharist is the essence of Christianity, just as it is the new meal of Christianity.  Holy Week initiates all of these things, but we celebrate them every week.  I love that part of the video: "Every Sunday is an Easter. Every communion a Resurrection."

All of the Paschal mystery is quite a paradox if you think about it... In Jesus's ministry and most significantly on the cross, power is manifested by weakness. Ironic. God loved us so much that He became mocked and scourged. He loved us so much that He became death. "My perfection is yours and yours is mine." In 1 Corinthians, St. Paul says: "If Christ had not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain." Christ died to free us from our bondage to sin, and he rose to give us salvation and new life. This is a huge gift and an amazing promise!

Back to Fr. Neuhaus's quote at the beginning... How are the aspects of your faith life entangled in these Holy Week mysteries? What do these symbols and sacrifices mean to you? :)

Happy Easter!!!  Know of my many prayers for you during this Holy Week!

Sending Easter love,
Bridget