HE IS RISEN! ALLELUIA!

Beginning with Ash Wednesday, we began a journey together that brought us, ultimatly, to the cross and then the empty tomb. For forty days our churches were sparsely decorated and focused upon penitence. No alleluias were sung and the general tone was reflective rather than exuberant. But now....for the next 50 days we joyfully sing "alleluia! Christ is risen".

The history of Easter has its origins at the beginning of Christianity with the remembrance of Jesus' saving actions upon the cross and then his glorious resurrection. St. Paul says: "O death, where is your sting?"

The Feast of Easter was well established by the second century. But there had been dispute over the exact date of the Easter observance between the Eastern and Western Churches. The East wanted to have it on a weekday because early Christians observed Passover every year on the 14th of Nisan, the month based on the lunar calendar. But, the West wanted that Easter should always be a Sunday regardless of the date.To solve this problem the emperor Constantine called the Council of Nicaea in 325. The question of the date of Easter was one of its main concerns. The council decided that Easter should fall on Sunday following the first full moon after the vernal equinox. But fixing up the date of the Equinox was still a problem. The Alexandrians, noted for their rich knowledge in astronomical calculations were given the task. And March 21 was made out to be the perfect date for spring equinox.The dating of Easter today follows the same. Accordingly, churches in the West observe it on the first day of the full moon that occurs on or following the Spring equinox on March 21., it became a movable feast between March 21 and April 25.Still some churches in the East observe Easter according to the date of the Passover festival.

So, for the next 50 days let your faith be exuberant like the faith of those first disciples who ran from the tomb to tell one another: Alleluia...he is risen just as he said.

THE GRACE OF HOLY WEEK

The tradition of marking the week before Easter (Holy Week) as a special time of reflection and devotion in the Church dates back to the 3rd or 4th century. It was a time where special attention was given to prayer, fasting and worship. The week comes to a climax with the celebration of the Triduum or "three days" which recall the institution of the Eucharist (Holy Thursday), death of Christ (Good Friday) and the passage from death to life (Holy Saturday). Easter Sunday, then marks the first day of the new season and is celebrated for 50 days.

The spiritual benefit of observing Holy Week is the lesson that new beginnings come from endings. And so as we prepare our hearts and minds throughout this week I invite you to truly experience the mystery of this week. Holy Week, and in particular the Triduum, are a time to leave our intellectual thinking mind at the door and enter into the experience of life from death.

As we mark the final days of Jesus' earthly life see within this story your own journey of faith. What have you suffered? What are your pains? What is your way of the cross? Take some time to create your own "way of the cross'" through reflection on one of the Gospel Passion narratives. See within your own way of the cross the unity it holds with the way of Jesus' cross. Understand that all our earthly experiences are united with the way of Jesus and that as God brought about a new beginning in the resurrection, so too God will bring a new beginning out of our experiences of death - real or metaphorical.

May the peace and holiness of this week prepare our hearts to celebrate the joy of the Resurrection!