Is there still mercy in Easter? We think of Easter as a time of rejoicing. We cast away the sullen looks and turn now to the joy of the resurrection. Jesus rose from the dead, and the world now rejoices. Mercy often gets left behind in Lent. With the cross comes mercy, and once Jesus rises from the dead, sometimes we stop thinking about mercy and move on.
But Easter is the embodiment of mercy. One of the first things Jesus does when he appears to his disciples is he gives them the Holy Spirit and then says to them “ If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” (John 20:23)
The forgiveness of sins – the distribution of God’s mercy can only happen after the resurrection. Certainly on the cross, Jesus displayed God’s mercy for all, but without the resurrection, it remains on display – forever enclosed but never released.
Easter allows God’s mercy to break forth. Just as Jesus broke forth from the tomb, so the mercy of God breaks forth into the world and each of our lives. It is the gift of the resurrection.
Easter is not an afterthought to the passion but the completion of it. If Jesus did not rise, then nothing has been accomplished. St. Paul says “if Christ has not been raised, then our proclamation has been in vain, and your faith has been in vain” (1 Cor 15:14)
Thus, Lent leads to Easter, and mercy leads to grace. Indeed, God has shown his great mercy through the death of his son Jesus, but it is through the resurrection that creation is restored and that mercy becomes a factor in our lives. And so the resurrection leads us to gratitude. The gratitude that we have received so much mercy from God in our lives, in so many different ways.
If we focus on just the passion, we are at risk of wallowing in guilt. For we have done many terrible things. But the resurrection shifts from guilt to gratitude – from self-loathing to thanksgiving.
We are always thankful that God shows us his great mercy – yesterday, today and always.
The Passover Seder Meal is a Christian ritual that allows us to return to the sources of our past that is the very ground of our being. The celebration remembers the Passover night when God rescued the Children of Israel from slavery in Egypt. Why is it important for us to observe the Passover Seder Meal? Moses said, “You shall observe this rite as a perpetual ordinance for you and your children. When you come to the land that the Lord will give you, as he has promised, you shall keep this observance. And when your children ask you, “What do you mean by this observance?’ you shall say, ‘It is the Passover sacrifice to the Lord, for he passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt, when he struck down the Egyptians but spared our houses.” And the people bowed down and worshiped. – Exodus 12:24-27
We sat down with Fr. Jesus Galindo to talk about the Year of Mercy and its place in the lives of the parish of San Antonio. He shared with us his thoughts and hopes for the year and how we can all encounter God’s mercy throughout Lent and the rest of the year.
“If anyone wishes to come after me, let him take up his cross daily and follow me.” (Matthew 16:24) This verse has been my inspiration and rallying cry ever since I became a widow some seven years back. Losing my lifetime partner and the father of my children was devastating and life shattering. My whole world fell apart. I felt lost and abandoned. I was lonely and depressed. But because of countless prayers and novenas, spiritual support, faith in the Lord, and the love of my children and grandchildren, I slowly learned to live again. I now keep myself busy and most importantly, I now realize that in our lives, we will inevitably encounter sorrows and disappointments. These are the crosses that we all must bear.
Santuario de San Antonio Parish 