EASTER SUNDAY
"Why seek you the living with the dead? He is not here, but is risen" (Lk 24:5).
Celebrations! Even if the most important feasts do not come very often, my heart is brought to celebrate one every Sunday....That is God's feast, the feast of rest...The whole family goes to Mass (The Story of a Soul)
And they went out quickly from the sepulcher with fear and great joy, running to tell his disciples. And behold Jesus met them, saying: All hail. But they came up and took hold of his feet, and adored him. (Mt 28:8, 9)
During the Passover of Our Lord, the women showed more courage than the apostles. (...) Undoubtedly, this is why he allowed contempt to be their lot in life on earth, because he chose it for himself....It will be shown, in heaven, that his thoughts were not those of humankind, because the last will be the first (The Story of a Soul)EASTER TUESDAY
Jesus saith to her: Do not touch me, for I am not yet ascended to my Father. But go to my brethren, and say to them: I ascend to my Father and to your Father, to my God and your God (Jn 20:17).
At times, we are so uncomfortable within ourselves we must quickly reach out. Our Lord doesn't force us to stay within ourselves; oftentimes, he allows us this discomfort so we can reach out. To resolve this, I reach out to Jesus and Mary by throwing myself into acts of charity (Advice and Memories)
EASTER WEDNESDAY
And they said one to the other: Was not our heart burning within us, whilst he spoke in this way, and opened to us the scriptures? And rising up, the same hour, they went back to Jerusalem (Lk 24; 32, 33).
For a long time, I fed my soul with the knowledge of "pure flour" that I found in a book called Imitation. This was the only book I was comfortable with because I had not as yet found the hidden treasures in the Gospel. (...) When I was fourteen, given my interest in knowledge, the Lord found it necessary to combine that "pure flour" with plenty of "oil and honey" (The Story of a Soul)EASTER SATURDAY
At length he appeared to the eleven as they were at table: and he upbraided them with their incredulity and hardness of heart, because they did not believe them who had seen him after he was risen again. And he said to them: Go ye into the whole world, and preach the gospel to every creature (Mk 16:14-15)
God needs no person to do his divine work. But he does allow a talented gardener to raise exotic and delicate plants by giving him the necessary knowledge but keeping the secret of their creation to himself. In the same way, Jesus wants to be helped in his divine gardening of souls (The Story of a Soul)
FIRST SUNDAY OF EASTER - LOW SUNDAY, DIVINE MERCY SUNDAY AND BEATIFICATION OF JOHN PAUL II
Now when it was late that same day, the first of the week, and the doors were shut, where the disciples were gathered together, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them: Peace be to you. And when he had said this, he shewed them his hands and his side. The disciples therefore were glad, when they saw the Lord. He said therefore to them again: Peace be to you. (....)And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them. Jesus cometh, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said: Peace be to you (Jn 20: 19-26).
This joyous day [Sunday] which passes by all too quickly, has a tinge of sadness....One must start life over again the next day - work, study. My heart feels as if it is in exile on earth....I yearn for eternal rest in heaven, where Sundays never end, in my Father's house (The Story of a Soul)
Today the glorious Alleluia of Easter resounds. Today's Gospel from John emphasizes that on the evening of that day he appeared to the Apostles and "showed them his hands and his side" (Jn 20: 20), that is, the signs of the painful passion with which his Body was indelibly stamped, even after the Resurrection. Those glorious wounds, which he allowed doubting Thomas to touch eight days later, reveal the mercy of God who "so loved the world that he gave his only Son" (Jn 3: 16).
This mystery of love is at the heart of the liturgy today, the Second Sunday of Easter, dedicated to the devotion of Divine Mercy. As a gift to humanity, which sometimes seems bewildered and overwhelmed by the power of evil, selfishness and fear, the Risen Lord offers his love that pardons, reconciles and reopens hearts to love. It is a love that converts hearts and gives peace. How much the world needs to understand and accept Divine Mercy! Lord, who reveal the Father's love by your death and Resurrection, we believe in you and confidently repeat to you today: Jesus, I trust in you, have mercy upon us and upon the whole world. (Regina Caeli of the 3 April 2005, the day following the death of Pope John-Paul II)
Group photo of young Karol Wojtyla (arrow) - posing together with other altar boys and their Parish Priest, photo taken in Karol's hometown of Wadowice, circa 1932
In his intimate life, God "is love," (1Jn 4,8) the essential love shared by the three divine Persons: personal love is the Holy Spirit as the Spirit of the Father and the Son. Therefore he "searches even the depths of God," (1Cor 2,10) as uncreated Love-Gift.... Here we have an inexhaustible treasure of the reality and an inexpressible deepening of the concept of person in God, which only divine Revelation makes known to us. At the same time, the Holy Spirit, being consubstantial with the Father and the Son in divinity, is love and (uncreated) gift from which derives as from its source... the gift of grace to human beings through the whole economy of salvation. As the Apostle Paul writes: "God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit which has been given to us" (Rm 5,5). (Bl John Paul II)
Word yet to be created, Word of God!
Oh, you know, I love you, Divine Jesus!
The Spirit of Love embraces me with its fire.
By loving you I attract the Father,
My weak heart keeps him in me without expectation;
Oh Trinity, you are prisoners of my love (St Therese Poem 17).
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