The Corinthians were struggling to celebrate the Passover in the spirit of sincerity and truth. We also are struggling to celebrate the new Passover, Easter. To recover the true celebration of Easter, we should look at the first Easter day.
On the first Easter morning, Jesus told Mary Magdalene and Mary, the mother of James, to go and tell the Good News to His disciples (Mt 28:10). On the first Easter afternoon, Jesus walked about seven miles with two of His disciples and interpreted every passage of Scripture which referred to Him (Lk 24:27). As He did this, the disciples' hearts burned within them (Lk 24:32). At the end of the afternoon, they recognized the risen Jesus in the breaking of the bread, that is, in Holy Communion (Lk 24:35). On the first Easter evening, Jesus opened the apostles' minds to the understanding of the Scriptures (Lk 24:45). He also commanded them to receive the Holy Spirit and gave them the power to absolve sins in His name (Jn 20:22-23).
We truly celebrate Jesus' Resurrection through the power of the Spirit. As on the first Easter, the Spirit will send us forth to evangelize, make God's Word come alive in our hearts, open our eyes to recognize the risen Christ, especially through the Mass, and call us to repentance and Confession. If we follow the Spirit's lead in these ways (see Gal 5:25), we will truly celebrate Easter.
| PRAYER: | Father, after I renew my baptismal promises today, may I never be the same. |
| PROMISE: | "When Christ our Life appears, then you shall appear with Him in glory." –Col 3:4 |
| PRAISE: | Jesus is risen from the dead! "This is the day the Lord has made; let us be glad and rejoice in it" (Ps 118:24). |
Reprinted with permission from Presentation Ministries, a lay association of the Catholic Church that focuses on evangelization and discipleship through Bible teaching, daily Mass, the charisms of the Holy Spirit, and Small Christian Community. Their ministries include:
· One Bread, One Body
· Daily Bread Radio Program
· Annual Bible Institute
· Discipleship Retreats
· Guadalupe Bible College