Is there a problem? We are celebrating Easter all this week and for 50 days we laugh and sing Alleluia, Christ is risen, Happy Easter. But people are still home-bound, this pandemic is still waging war on us, every solitary human being on the planet is affected by this. Is this a Happy Easter?
I would like to respond to this dilemma in two ways.
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The enchanting paintings of the great French artist Pierre-Auguste Renoir captivate the eyes and the soul with their brilliant blend of light, darkness and color. He seemed to put light inside the people he painted. He was famous for saying paintings should be pretty. There is already too much ugliness in the world without having to manufacture more.
You may know that for the last 20 years of his life-his most productive years-he was horribly crippled with arthritis. He became wheel-chair bound and had to be shifted about in his chair as he painted by his assistants. On one occasion, one of his students, asked him, “Why do you go on and torture yourself like this.” Renoir paused and replied, “The pain passes but the beauty remains.”
2. Agnostic Malcolm Muggeridge, upon meeting Mother Teresa of Calcutta, fell in love with the Risen Lord and converted from nothing to Catholicism. Filled with Easter hope, he said,
“As I approach my end, I find Jesus’ outrageous claim ever more captivating and meaningful. Quite often, waking up in the night, as the old do … I feel myself like a butterfly released from its chrysalis stage and ready to fly away… I hear those words ‘I am the Resurrection’ and I feel myself carried along by a great tide of Joy and peace.”
How beautiful is the Risen Lord, calling Mary by name and telling her not to be afraid. The Gospel says she was overjoyed. Why? Because the disappointment and sadness of Good Friday have given way to Easter hope. Easter is filled with beauty and hope, even in these unique days of virus retreat. Christ is Risen indeed! Believe it! Live it and love it. Happy Easter! Amen! Alleluia!
What were some of the unexpected moments of this unique Easter celebration that proved to you that beauty and hope still exists?
Father Willy's inspirational homily was recorded live this morning during Mass at the Father Peyton Center. Please view the video on our Facebook page. (You don't need a Facebook account to view.)
To view Rosary prayer and Mass streaming live, please visit our Facebook page at 11:30 am EDT, Monday – Friday. Please invite your loved ones to join us too! (You don't need a Facebook account to view.)
