To Praise the Lord!

Alleluia! He is Risen! We enjoyed a beautiful celebration of Easter here in the convent, and are continuing to praise God throughout this Easter season. I would always tell my students, there's a reason the Easter season is the longest season in the Church - 50 days. The miracle of Jesus' Resurrection is truly the foundation of our faith and a cause for great joy. If He conquered sin and death, what do we have to fear?
Listening to the Gospels this week I'm struck by the unbelief and hard-headedness of the disciples. How many times had Jesus spoken to them about his death and resurrection. And yet, who was watching and waiting outside of his tomb? The soldiers. As Fulton Sheen points out, no other time in history has anyone ever guarded the tomb of a dead person for fear that they would come out of it. The women were coming to the tomb, not to prove that He had risen, but to anoint and prepare the body for burial. And upon finding the tomb empty, they weren't overjoyed, but distraught; assuming someone had "taken" Jesus away. Mary Magdalen believes only after Jesus says her name, Peter only after seeing Jesus himself, and the disciples on the road to Emmaus only after he blesses the bread and breaks it to share with them like he's done before. Not the angels' words, nor the testimony of Mary Magdalen after speaking with Jesus can convince the other disciples. Only one, upon seeing the empty tomb understands it's meaning: John, the beloved disciple. Father mentioned, that John was able to interpret the Resurrection because He was loved by God and loved Him in return. Because of this perfect love that casts out all fear and doubt, he was able to accept the empty tomb and know the truth. We can be hardheaded and stubborn just like the disciples, but we must remember the result of the story. Pope Francis shared this reflection in his Easter message: "What was a simple act, done surely out of love – going to the tomb – has now turned into an event, a truly life-changing event. Nothing remains as it was before, not only in the lives of those women, but also in our own lives and in the history of mankind. Jesus is not dead, he has risen, he is alive!"

I am thankful for our new Holy Father and his words of wisdom to help us truly enter into this Easter Season. We enjoyed waiting and watching with the world during his election and are excited for this new time in our Church. He has called us to truly go out "to the peripheries, not only geographically, but also the existential peripheries: the mystery of sin, of pain, of injustice, of ignorance and indifference to religion, of intellectual currents, and of all misery" to serve those in need.

Our way of participating in the Conclave...

Habemus Papam: Pope Francis!



White Smoke, we have a Pope ... we don't know who yet.

I also love how Mary the Mother of God isn't among the women going to prepare Jesus' body. She knows he won't be there, and her constant faith and hope in God are a source of strength once again for all Christians. She is the example of fidelity and being at peace in accepting the will of God. How often is it hard for me to hear something and accept it. Even when I know it's true or for my good. How difficult it can be to encounter something unexpected. We must not be afriad of God's surprises! Because, as Pope Francis reminds us, "He always surprises us! The Lord is like that. ... let us not be closed to the newness that God wants to bring into our lives! Let us not close our hearts, let us not lose confidence, let us never give up: there are no situations which God cannot change, there is no sin which he cannot forgive if only we open ourselves to him. Let the risen Jesus enter your life, welcome him as a friend, with trust: he is life! If up till now you have kept him at a distance, step forward. He will receive you with open arms. If you have been indifferent, take a risk: you won’t be disappointed. If following him seems difficult, don’t be afraid, trust him, be confident that he is close to you, he is with you and he will give you the peace you are looking for and the strength to live as he would have you do."