Hallelujah!

 

(April 7, 2021) Happy Easter! Easter is not just a day, and not just a season in church, but always.  We can celebrate Easter every day because – Hallelujah! – Jesus is still alive! 

He’s alive! Do we ‘get’ it? Can we even grasp that concept? We can try. We can  invite that reality to sink into our heads and hearts and let it affect our attitudes  and the choices we make. We can look for Christ’s presence and power in our  lives; the more we look for Him, the more we’ll see Him. 

“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” --Jeremiah 29:13 

He’s alive! We can look for Him in the miraculous rebirth of springtime. We can  see Him in the helplessness of a newborn baby and the innocence of a child. We  can see Him in the steadfast love of an elderly couple who has weathered the  storms of life together. We can see Him in the humility of a panhandler, and let  Him use us to answer the beggar’s prayer for help. We can feel His love in the love  we have for our children and grandchildren. We can share His joy through  laughter with a friend. We can offer His compassion when we try to lighten  another’s burden. 

He’s alive! We can sit in quiet and picture Him smiling at us. He knows we’re  trying our best, and forgives us when we fall short. He forgives us even before we  ask Him to, and He lovingly waits for us to ask Him. He hears our prayers, our cries  of frustration, our joyful thanks, our fears for the future, and our pleas for our  loved ones. He nudges us to reach out to others in ways we would never have  thought of on our own. He hears us when we ask Him for guidance. If we listen,  we can notice the ‘gut feelings’ He gives us that prompt us to choose the path  that will lead us to Him and His peace: HIS peace, which is beyond all  understanding (see Philippians 4:7 and John 14:27).  

Here’s a small example of divine inspiration at work: On Easter Sunday, in the  afternoon, we were hiking a gorgeous trail along with many other people. At one 

point I said to my husband, “Today is EASTER! We don’t ‘get’ it, do we? If we did,  we’d be celebrating!” I thought of reaching out to the others on the trail, but then hesitated and let self-doubt get in the way. A moment later, though, I decided I  couldn’t let the opportunity pass by. So, to one young family I said, “Happy Easter,  if you celebrate Easter!” They looked up with appreciative smiles and said,  “Happy Easter! Yes! Absolutely!” After that I greeted pretty much everyone we  passed on the trail with a smile and “Happy Easter!” Without fail, everyone  returned the cheerful greeting. The experience felt incredibly freeing to me and  actually made my heart feel lighter, because God gave me the courage to get out  of myself in a very small way. 

Jesus is alive! He’s with us. He loves us. He wants us to look for Him and trust  Him. He wants us to experience His peace. 

Hallelujah! 

Also, the first Sunday after Easter is Divine Mercy Sunday. Faustina Kowalska  (1905-1938) wrote of apparitions of Jesus, Who declared that “every soul  believing and trusting in My mercy will obtain it” (St. Faustina’s diary, 420). (To  learn more, go to thedivinemercy.org.) 

“Lord, open my heart to receive Your love, forgiveness, and mercy so that I may  offer them to others.” 

This article is a personal reflection by Gina Bedell © 2021. It and other reflections written by her invite  the reader to ponder a given topic and then seek deeper answers through prayer, additional spiritual  reading, and/or consultation with clergy or other persons who may guide the reader to a deeper faith  and understanding of God’s love and will for their life.