Joy of the Resurrection: Understanding Easter in the Traditional Latin Mass
Introduction to the Significance of Easter
As I said, I will try to be brief. Not that hard this time of night. But, this is, of course, the moment of the Holy Spirit. The most important, the most beautiful, the most powerful feast day of the liturgical year. It is, simply put, the most crucial feast in so many ways. But, it's also one of the most extraordinary. One of the greatest parts of this entire evening, although there's so much to choose from, is the moment of during the Gloria when we get to hear the joyous bells again. For just one day, just one day, we weren't able to hear bells. For just Good Friday, that's it. And, it just seemed like it hangs heavy on our soul.
The Return of Joy and Sanctity
And then, the veils are removed from all of our friends who have been hidden from us for so long. And, we get to see the saints in all their glory again. We get to share in their company again. We get to have St. Philomena's relic exposed to us again. We get to have our Lady's images exposed again. We get to have all of these things happen to us to remind us of what the fruit of the resurrection is. Sanctity, holiness, light, joy. All these things. All these things come simply from the act of Christ raising Himself from the dead. Just that. Nothing else. That one moment changed all of history. Changed the face of the entirety of the earth.
The Quiet Joy of the Resurrection
And, this is something that we are supposed to share and feel deeply. Not the exuberant joy of Christ, of Christmas, where Christ comes into the world and the angels spring into song and chant before the shepherds in the night. Glory to God on highest. But rather, the solemn, quiet, peaceful joy of the angel seated upon the stone around the sepulcher and proclaiming the joyous news to St. Mary Magdalene. Come and see where He was laid. And now, go and tell everyone. Not the angel breaking down the doors to the Chinakulum where the apostles were hidden. But rather, just simply sending an emissary, St. Mary Magdalene. Who, of course, was more than a little hysterical herself. So, definitely, there was a lot of exuberance involved.
The Elect of God and the Mystery of Easter
But, this is, the whole point is the quiet, contemplative joy that comes with the mystery of Easter. Why should we be so joyful? Because of one very simple thing. A thing, actually, we read several times during the baptismal ceremony today. Because you only saw the tail end of it. We had an hour-long ceremony this morning. Which is the first part of it. Which is, several times, the priest refers to the converts as the elect of God. Kneel down, you elect of God, and pray the Our Father. Stand up, elect of God, and receive the blessing of the Church. Several comments like that throughout the ceremony is a reminder of the fact that we are chosen, we have been selected from all eternity, from all souls among human history.
Sharing in the Resurrection
We have been chosen to share the faith, to receive grace. Now, again, we need to remind ourselves that's not because we are anything important, or special, or interesting, or anything else. It's because God, in all of His goodness, and in all mystery, chose us. Selected us. Separated us. So, therefore, we get to share in the light of the new flame. We get to share in the first fruits of Easter. We get to share in the joy that is given to us through the mystery of Easter. We are the ones who get to see the empty sepulcher and believe that He is truly risen. We are the ones who are not just supposed to believe that He is risen, but to know He is risen because we get to see Him on the altar.
Receiving Christ in the Eucharist
We get to receive Him in the Eucharist. We get to see Him sacrifice Himself again and again on the altar. This is what we have. This is the treasure that we have been given and that Christ shares with us. And this is why Easter is so crucial for us. And why our reaction to Easter should always be one of pure, unadulterated, contemplative, quiet joy. This is why we need to have faith. Today is the day where faith, hope, and charity come to fruition. We must believe that Christ is God because He rose from the dead of His own power.
Embracing Faith, Hope, and Charity
And that gives us hope that we can rise above our sins just as He rose from the dead. And that should inspire in us true charity because He came suffering. He suffered and died and sacrificed and then stayed with us so that we could have true charity to be able to share it. Faith, hope, and charity are born this day. And this day we must become living embodiments of that same faith, that same hope, and that same charity that the apostles should have received that first day.
The Blessed Mother's Unwavering Faith
The first person that Christ went to visit with His resurrection was His Blessed Mother. It's not in scriptures, but it just stands to reason. We know He went to His Mother. We can only imagine what that meeting must have been like after the last time that she had seen Him, when she wrapped Him up in the cloth to be able to put Him in the tomb. We can only imagine what that meeting must have been like. But why would He choose her first, apart from the fact that she is His Mother? Because of the fact that she was the one soul, the only soul who never lost her faith. She was the only soul who never, for a second, doubted that Christ would come again.
Learning Faith from Our Mother
Our faith must be that unwavering and there is only one place for us to learn it. From our Mother on the altar where we say the Holy Mass. Because it is through the Mass and through her motherly teachings that we are able to assimilate the lessons of the faith in the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. And by doing so we will be able to learn the hope to be healed. We will be able to overcome our imperfections and sins. And the charity necessary to share the love that God has given to us to all corners of the earth.
Spreading the Message of Easter
So that we elect few need not be so few. We should be the entire world over. But this only happens when our faith penetrates to the point that we have true hope and that we can share the love of God to everyone around us. That all the countless problems around us do not shake our faith. And do not rattle our hope even a little bit. We will conquer because the grace of Christ has overcome death and sin itself. And we are living proof of that each and every day.
Conclusion: Living the Easter Message
Which is one reason we need to respond so perfectly. Grace for grace and love for love. Everything God gives us we must give back with all the love we have at our disposal. Each and every day. Because we are the chosen elect to be his messengers. And to be his servants here on earth. And that is the message of Easter we must carry within our soul. And that is the message of Easter that must influence every instant of our lives from this day forward. So that we can live eternally in heaven with him.