Embracing Easter: A Reflection on Lent, Sacrifice, and Celebration

 

I'm relieved that Lent is finished this year for reasons other than Cadbury Dark Chocolate Eggs and Easter Alleluias.

It wasn't an easy fast. For the most part, there was undoubtedly no clear relationship to Lent. As always, the news was terrible and served as a stark reminder that we must be saved from this cruel, worn-out, and shattered world. I require a rescuer. Perhaps that wasn't the case for you, but I found it especially difficult to maintain my Lenten obligations throughout my fast.

Really, none of them were all that hard. However, each required a particular level of sacrifice, and this year the effort was difficult.

I won't go into all the graphic details; suffice it to say, that was my entire intention when I let "One Day at a Time" slip out of my mouth. That was enough Lent, after all.

Saint John Chrysostom has a reflection on Easter that I really like. For many good reasons, the churches of both the East and the West revere him as a venerable saint. However, this passage, which is taken from his Easter sermon during the celebration, emphasizes his Christlike love for our helpless humanity:

"Let everyone partake in the feast in the evening, regardless of wealth." Let us observe a day of peace and relaxation. Nobody should lament their lack of wealth because the kingdom of heaven has arrived. Nobody should be sad about their transgressions since forgiveness has risen from the dead.

Come and rejoice equally, "you who fasted and you who did not," for "forgiveness has risen from the grave." All of us: the ones who didn't do as well as we could during this fast. Those of us who gritted our teeth and whispered our resolutions in silence. Those of us who offered sacrifices while grinning and with a spirit of prayer.

Saint Chrysostom tells us that everyone is welcome to the feast, including the virtuous and the lazy, the peaceful and the restless, and the wealthy and the impoverished.

He brings up the famous tale that so many Americans find frustrating in another section of the same sermon. It is about the workers in the vineyard (Matthew 20:1–16), who arrive at various times during the day but ultimately get paid the same. Guys, does this mean we may abandon our strict work ethic?

Easter, according to Saint Chrysostom, is a reward for everyone. Fasting serves as a helpful discipline since it serves as a reminder of our Lord's suffering and our offering. However, since that sacrifice has already been paid on our behalf, we can rejoice that death has been vanquished and that it is indeed risen during this joyous Easter season.

And if I may propose a resolve for Easter, let's not forget it for a second. We have been in the Lenten desert for forty days. Now, let us rejoice for forty days, just as they did in the time of Saint Chrysostom.

Crack open the Cadbury eggs! Enjoy a special feast to celebrate! Thank you for this, the most important event in the church calendar.

Of course, there will be more Lents. Easter, though, is only one. Let us not forget that there is a joyful conclusion for this poor old earth.