“He is Risen, Alleluia! He is Risen Indeed, Alleluia!”
This traditional greeting on Easter Sunday reflects the joy we will be releasing throughout this Easter Season.
At the Last Supper, Jesus told the disciples they would grieve for a while, but that their grief would be turned into joy. This promise was fulfilled on Easter Sunday morning when Mary Magdalene, grieving outside the tomb, realized that the man she thought was the gardener was the risen Lord. When Jesus pronounced her name, she was so overjoyed that she ran to the other disciples to share her joy with them.
Like Mary Magdalene, as disciples unleashed of the Risen Lord, we are called to share our joy with others during this Easter Season. It was the joy of the first Christians that attracted others to follow Jesus. There are stories of early Christian martyrs joyfully praising God as they were led to their execution. They joyfully embraced the new life that awaited them. Because Christ had risen, they knew they too would share in his victory over death.
We celebrate the Easter Season for fifty days! The joy of Easter is so abundant that twenty-four hours cannot contain it! Neither should we contain our joy. Let’s not hold it inside. Release it! What is more attractive than a truly joyful person? We are called to express our Christian joy in all we do. Even when life gets difficult, even as we face death. That joy should be especially overwhelming as we gather as a community at Mass. Sing and shout for joy! Smile! The name of our Family of Parishes is “Disciples Unleashed.” We live up to that name when visitors to our parishes are able to say: “Those people are so full of joy I want to become one of them!”