And now? What?

Reflections on an Easter Monday Morning

On Monday morning after the very moving celebrations of Holy Week which culminated in the Mass on Easter Day, I was nagged by the question, “and now” ?  “What” ?
The buzz of Sunday had an adrenalin rush about it that invited repetition and one began to dream of building on what had been a very special moment. Later, I realise that this event, beautiful as it was runs the risk of being a set piece, an Easter “show” for high days and holidays” unless it is grounded in the day to day living of faith that takes place on the other 51 weeks of the year.

Easter, derives its significance, not from bonnets, bunny rabbits and beautiful liturgies, but is a celebration of the defining moment of our Religion and a reaffirmation of our desire to live that moment day by day. Just as fantastic wedding does not make a lasting marriage, similarly a big celebration of Easter may be enjoyable, but it derives its meaning from the day to day lived experience of our Christian commitment. A marriage cannot be an endless series of wedding days, and would soon become jaded if it were. Faith too is not satisfactorily expressed in an endless series of beautiful liturgies, but rather in the pledge to continue to love God with all my heart and my neighbour as myself. There is true Religion found.

I thoroughly enjoyed our Easter Day Mass this year. I begin to see, that beautiful and important though they are, the real significance of our Easter liturgies was that we were sprinkled with water to remind of ourselves of our baptism and rededicated ourselves to living that commitment in our daily lives. As a result we are ready to let go of the heightened buzz of Holy Week and to quietly and reflectively ask Him the morning after question “And now? What?”

Dare to ask, and I suspect you will find the answer will not be more big events but rather the less dramatic, but ultimately more important, “take up your Cross daily and follow Me.

Fr. Joseph Loftus, CM

22nd April, 2007