Ironic that I should mention light. It is the light of the Risen Christ that gives us the hope and joy. The light is symbolised by the Baptismal Candle first illuminated at the Easter Vigil. Our faith is not in vain. Christ has risen from the dead. And we too will one day rise from the dead. Death is not the end. The Baptismal candle may be extinguished at Ascension but our faith ensures that the light never goes out in our heart.
Surréxit Dóminus vere, Allelúia!
We must not fear those who corrupt us. Our Lord Jesus Christ has given us the example to follow. Those who cried out for His blood and received it only harmed themselves not Christ. He met His terrible death on the cross with patience and resignation to the will of God, and He tells us to do likewise.
On this side of eternity, we often fall into the trap set by the devil, the world and our own fallen nature, of seeking an everlasting happiness here on earth. We look for this happiness in the things of this earth. But with each and every thing that we pursue in this search for happiness we return disappointed because these things were not made to bring us happiness. The things of this earth are the tools that we are to use in our pursuit of eternal happiness. They are not the source of happiness but the instruments given for the earning of it. As St. Augustine says “Our hearts are restless until they rest in thee O Lord.”
We are constantly in pursuit of this happiness whether we know it or not. But we often fall into the trap of looking for this eternal happiness in places where it cannot be found, and this is the source of such bitter disappointments, frustration, and regrets.
The joy of the Resurrection comes from having renounced the false pleasures of this world and having kept a steady eye on the true happiness of Heaven. Having bartered the temporary false pleasures of earth for the eternal true pleasures of Heaven is truly cause for rejoicing.
Christ has shown us how to conquer the fear of death and even death itself. It is not enough for us to rejoice in His victory. His victory is meaningless and useless to us if we ourselves do not take Him for our pattern and live so that we may die and resurrect gloriously like Him.
Our Holy Mother the Church rejoices today because of Her children who have spent the season of Lent profitably and now are given a glimpse of the joys that await them in Heaven. However, She is simultaneously saddened by the many souls that have rejected the hard and painful path of the cross and have chosen instead the comfortable and pleasant highway of their passions and the world and its ability to misroute souls.