[ad_1]
The calendar says that today is Easter. I find it hard to believe. You do not? Are we going to believe on paper or are we going to believe in our experience?
From what I can tell, today is actually the 376th day of a Lent that began on Ash Wednesday in 2020. It is more than nine times longer than the old Lent. The calendar tells us that today is Easter, but we know that Lent that began a year ago will last until the end of this year or beyond.
It has been a very, very long Lent. Perhaps that is appropriate, since the English word “Lent” is related to the word “long”. It originally meant “spring,” the season when days lengthen, or as my father would say with his pronunciation of New York City, “Lent.”
The days have been long, that’s for sure. We have given up or been forced to give up many things. We don’t meet friends. We show no signs of affection. We don’t show our smiles or frowns. We do not travel. We don’t go out to relax. We are not going to work. We are not going to school. We don’t go to church.
Our worship together has been reduced or even canceled. Many parishes face financial disaster. People have lost the habit of joining, and many may not join again. In their responses to security measures like shutdowns and vaccinations, the stupidity of some who claim to lead churches will alienate some smart people.
Some people have had their financial lives ruined due to business failures and job losses. Some of us have given up even more because family, friends, or colleagues have gotten sick and caused fear on their behalf. Some of us have gotten sick.
And of course, as in any disaster, prayers for protection and healing have not borne the fruit that was desperately desired. We all probably know people or know people who have been forced to give up their lives, victims of this deadly virus.
And the end of this Lent is not in sight despite prayers, social distancing, masks and, finally, vaccines. In fact, the latest news is that here in Japan we are heading for a fourth peak in virus cases, a peak expected to be worse than the previous three as politicians and bureaucrats falter and vaccination advances at a snail’s pace.
And yet here we are celebrating Easter.
Isn’t Easter supposed to be at the end of Lent? It was not like that last year, it is not like that this year. Today is Easter of Lent. Our “Hallelujah!” It’s muffled by our masks But perhaps it is not necessary to muffle it in our hearts and prayers.
Easter has not been removed from the calendar. In fact, it happens on some date every year, even this year. Sometimes, like this year, it seems to happen despite what is happening on that or any other date.
What does marking Easter do for us during a long Lent?
We have been forced to give up a lot instead of choosing our Lenten sacrifices for ourselves. Has that given us time and heart to remember that Emmanuel, God with us, is enough? We have been cut off from many of our regular contacts and activities. Have we used the time to increase our prayer and our embrace of the Scriptures? Have we spent our “free time” watching television, or have we spent it reading, reflecting, listening to good music, or learning something new about faith, the world, and ourselves? Have we let self-pity, or more often boredom, control our thoughts and feelings?
But in the meantime, today is Easter, the day to remember that even when other things are taken from us, the Resurrection is not taken from our lives. On the cross, the life of Jesus was taken from him, but that death was the way to life. The resurrection of Jesus to new life and our resurrection with him in the new birth of Baptism is something that happens every day of every year. Good Morning. Bad days. Indifferent days. Days of Lent.
Perhaps this is the best way to celebrate Easter. Without a doubt, it is the best of this year, since we have no other path available. Easter while it is still Lent. Easter without the extravagant liturgies (although I love them) or with costumes or any of the usual celebratory marks (although my sister thoughtfully sent me candy). Resurrection in the midst of all that death, disease, disappointment, confusion and hopelessness can throw at us.
The Resurrection that we celebrate especially today and every Sunday, the Resurrection that we live every day, is destined to be a light in a world of darkness. This year, the darkness can be more painful than in other years, more Lent than usual. But the resurrection of Jesus from his grave is the promise that we have already come out of our graves. The Lenten grave. Covid’s grave. The grave of death. Those graves don’t have the last word. God’s love for me, for you, for us will not be conquered.
Next year we will return, we hope, to the usual Easter. But for this year, let us give thanks that we are forced to remember that while in a sense we live in Lent our entire lives, we also live Easter our entire lives.
William Grimm is a missionary and priest in Tokyo and is the editor of the Union of Catholic Asian News (UCA News). The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official editorial position of UCA News.
[ad_2]
