Jesus is risen! He is risen, indeed!
A very blessed Easter to all of you! We have entered into this joyous season where the savior of the world, who came to give his life so that we might enter into eternal life, has risen from the dead. New life now awaits us who follow Him!
I began with a traditional greeting, often referred to as the Paschal greeting. Although we don’t hear this greeting as much in the Roman Catholic, church, Eastern Catholics and Orthodox regularly encounter it within their liturgies. It’s done much like the exclamations “The Lord be with you. And with your Spirit.” which we’re familiar from our Mass.
This ancient greeting is given as an exclamation of joy. Joy that salvation is open to us. Joy that our sins no longer keep us from receiving eternal life in the Kingdom of Heaven. Joy that the penitential season of Lent is over, and we have entered into a season of celebration. Joy that Jesus has risen from the dead.
This greeting is also an exclamation of hope. It’s a reminder of the hope that we have for our resurrection into the New Creation promised by Our Lord. Just as Jesus rose from the dead after being in the tomb, we too one day have hope of rising from the dead at the end of time. Our Lord promised us that he would return to judge the living and dead, and that the souls of those who have died will be reunited to their resurrected bodies. It is our hope that we will be found faithful to Him, and so be judged worthy of the Kingdom of Heaven.
May we enter into this Easter season filled with the joy and hope of Our Lord’s resurrection. Jesus is risen! He is risen, indeed!
