Easter Sunday: Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

04-04-2021Weekly ReflectionFr. Bing Colasito

In a homily at the Cathedral of Hippo, St. Augustine said: You are an Easter people, and Alleluia is your song. A year into the pandemic, I joyfully greet everyone: A Blessed Easter, Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Be Easter people: we have survived the test of Covid-19 and the changes that it brought the whole world. The greeting of Alleluia means, Praise God. In ancient Hebrew, it means, Thanks be to God. To be an Easter person, therefore, is to be full of Praise and Thanksgiving to God. An invitation to have a disposition of gratitude or thanksgiving to God for everything. For this life, as we continue to live, thank God for every person in our life, for being part of our life. Remember: Some people are a blessing, and others are a lesson.

Christians are like a light bulb with the power to brighten others. Power to enlighten ourselves and the people we meet. The illumination varies in intensity on different occasions. Most of us maybe 25 watts when we wake up. But as soon as we complete our morning rituals, we are up to 50 or even up to 75 watts. But we brighten up to 100 watts when we experience love from God, family, and friends. With light bulbs, someone controls the switch, and that is us. We have the option to switch it on, and walk with our light on, and help brighten up the world, or we can lower the dimmer switch and have our lights dimmed and bring darkness and gloom around us.

Let us all be Easter people and be light givers. Let us bring light to some dark corners of the world or a soul experiencing dark moments in life. Alleluia! Thanks be to God! Be loving, joyful, peaceful, patient, generous, faithful, gentle, kind, and selfcontrolled (Gal. 5:22-23). Jesus kept His promise, Alleluia! He has risen! Let us abide in His Love, in His Heart. Now, He has poured the gift of the Holy Spirit in our Hearts. Like a rainbow, we are colorful and we bring a promise of a good tomorrow. The joy of Easter people is the clearest sign of the presence of God. Jesus Christ has indeed risen and He energizes our life with JOY.

Because we are Christians, we exude or radiate joy. Because we are Easter people, despite our many setbacks and challenges throughout the pandemic; we can still say thank you, Lord. Because there are many more things to thank God for. We say to broken dreams, Thank you, Lord. We say to the world with its hope and hopelessness, its love and lovelessness, its faith and faithlessness, its peace and turmoil, its selfishness and generosity, its meanness and kindness, its control and it's being out of control, its fruit and fruitlessness, its compassion and being compassionless, and for all these; Alleluia! Thanks be to God.

A Blessed Easter to All!