By Kari Bergmann
Christ’s first greeting to his followers was "Peace be with you!" (Jn 20:19,20). His disciples had been hiding in fear since his death, they had forgotten his promise to rise from the dead, and assumed that all was lost. Yet Christ appeared amongst them, forgiving their lack of faith, and bringing them peace, hope, and joy. Christ truly did what he said he would do. He died and overcame that impassable barrier, death. How much we need this message today. We have been living under the shadow of the coronavirus for months now. It is a frightening and discouraging time. Lives have been lost, jobs have been lost, and we have all had to make extreme changes to our day-to-day lives. We, like the disciples, are hiding away in our homes, fearful of what might happen. Yet, Christ’s resurrection from death changes everything for the disciples and it does so for us as well! We can still have peace, hope, and joy amidst the anxieties and uncertainties of this pandemic because we have a God who has conquered death and restored us to himself.
On this blessed day let us come together in praise and thanksgiving for Christ who conquered sin and death for us. We should celebrate with our families or housemates by praying, singing, feasting. We should still reach out to our family members and friends who we cannot see (especially those who are on their own) by calling, video chatting, sending letters or emails. Many of us will be missing the chance to come together with our loved one's today, so it’s important that we still establish some kind of contact. Perhaps you could share a meal over Skype or WhatsApp, it’s not the same as being together but at least you can still celebrate together and enjoy breaking your Lenten fasting.
Make sure that you schedule some time to spend in prayer and praise at your household prayer space. Now you can finally unveil the images and statues as we celebrate Easter. You may also want to decorate the prayer area with flowers and candles. Gather everyone together to reflect on the Scripture readings for Easter and to express thanks, silently or aloud, to God for all he has done. You may wish to sing some Easter hymns together like: Jesus Christ is Risen Today, Alleluia, Sing to Jesus, or Crown Him with Many Crowns. If you aren’t confident in your musical ability you can find plenty of beautiful Easter music on YouTube or a classical radio station. Lastly, praying the Glorious Mysteries of the Rosary is an excellent way to reflect on Christ’s triumph over sin and death.
If you participated in the jelly-bean activity on Good Friday, encourage your children to distribute the packages to every member of your household. Ask your child to explain what the different colours symbolize in relation to Easter as they hand out the goodies.
If you normally organize an Easter egg hunt for your children, you may wish to incorporate this indoor scavenger hunt on Pinterest, as it highlights some of the real meaning of Easter. You can use the clues as they are or come up with your own if you’d like to make it more difficult for older children or move the hunt outside. Find the link here: https://www.pinterest.com.au/pin/509117932875294567/
Explain to your children that Easter eggs are not just a treat, eggs represent new life. They symbolize the empty tomb of Jesus and that cracking those eggs represents Christ’s resurrection and emergence from the tomb. The Christian custom of Easter eggs has been present since the 15th century.
Lastly, make sure that you spend some time praying with your children and thanking God. You can read them the story of Easter from the Bible or a children’s book if you have one. For younger children, you can also watch this short 5 minute retelling of the Easter story on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HL8R158Ujp4. After sharing the story discuss key questions like: “Why did Jesus die? Who did he die for? And why did he rise from the dead?” to ensure that they understand.
On YouTube: Bishop Barron The Meaning of Easter -13 Minutes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FqU9VxOzaR4
On YouTube: Bishop Barron The Resurrection of Jesus -8 Minutes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UIbmCOm8jFs
On Formed: The Paschal Mystery: The Mystery of Jesus's Death & Resurrection-34 minutes
This video, featuring Dr. Edward Sri, helps us understand Christ’s death and resurrection in the context of the story of Salvation.
Halleluiah! All glory, praise and honour to You Most Glorious Lord Jesus! You have risen from the grave, You have conquered sin and death, You have opened the gates to Heaven! Halleluiah! All praise and honour to You Most Glorious Lord Jesus!
My Lord, hope is restored, joy and excitement are instilled in many hearts as You quietly, gently and gloriously rise from the dead, and bring forth new life for this fallen world. Sweet Jesus, give me the eyes of faith that I may see and believe in Your Resurrection. Help me to know the effects of Your triumph in my life. As I come to know You, my resurrected Lord, help me to entrust to You all that I am and all that I hope to be. Help me to trust in the abundant Mercy that flows from Your Resurrection.
Dear Lord, help me to enter deeply into the mystery of Easter during this eight-day celebration of the Octave of Easter. I pray that every day of this Octave will be a day of deepening trust and union with You in the glory of Your Resurrection.
Lord of Mercy, as our Church prepares for the glorious celebration of Mercy, poured out in a special way on the eighth day of this Octave, on Divine Mercy Sunday, help me to open my heart more deeply than ever before to the abundance of Grace and Mercy You wish to bestow. Pour forth Your Mercy into my life and into the lives of all Your children. I offer You my family, friends, community and the entire world. I pray for the faithful, the sinner, the lost and confused, the faithful, the clergy, our Holy Father and all of Your precious children. May we all anticipate, with eager hope, the abundance of grace You wish to dispense.
My Resurrected Jesus of Mercy, I trust in You. Jesus, I trust in You. Jesus, I trust in You!
Halleluiah! All glory, praise and honour to You Most Glorious Lord Jesus! You have risen from the grave, You have conquered sin and death, You have opened the gates to Heaven! Halleluiah! All praise and honour to You Most Glorious Lord Jesus!
Amen.