“This Is The Day!”
The Responsorial Psalm for the morning Mass of the Resurrection is taken from Psalm 118 encouraging us to embrace the moment, to live in the present, to let our hearts sing out “This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad”. I can’t think of a better attitude than this to embrace throughout the day, especially given the negativity that surrounds us. Being grateful for being alive and sharing in the wonders of family and friends might be a struggle for some of us because of the problems that we are facing – uncertainty because of serious medical issues or the lack of resources to pay for them, uncertainty about staying employed or finding a new job, uncertainty about the future for our children or grandchildren, uncertainty about the future prospects for peace in our world. Being grateful for this moment, what we call the ‘the eternal present now’ through which God continues to unfold creation is challenging at times since we often get swept up in the demands of this world. Finding reasons to rejoice in the Lord when there is so much change and so little security is, well, an act of faith to say the least.
Staying focused on the present is a “Eucharistic”, that is a “thankful, appreciative” mindset that we should take with us as we leave church after Mass. The reality of our encounter with Jesus in the Eucharist should enable us to recognize that God is in, around and with us every moment of our lives. If we really believe this, our lives will change. We will find the joy and happiness God intends for us to have in each “present moment” that passes. This does not mean that we live in a bubble and that we go unscathed through life. This would be delusional thinking... there is nothing that can prevent us from experiencing the hurts and disappointments that life scatters along the way. But, what it does mean is that we are able to cope with the failures, disappointments, and sorrows that we suffer along the way and rise above them.
“This is the day the Lord has made; Let us rejoice and be glad”. As we celebrate this great mystery of Christ’s rising from the dead, let this joyous refrain echo in our minds and in our hearts as we seek to keep His spirit alive within us and do our best to share our joy with all those we meet along the way.
May you and your loved ones enjoy a most Blessed Easter Season!
Deacon Tom
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