Easter Season: And Now What?

Lent is over, and now what? Every year, after Easter, I feel the same way. There is so much anticipation building up to Easter that when it's over, it feels like the day after a big party. You have the memories but you feel a deep void because the celebration is over. It's the same feeling when you lose someone that you love. You know they are in heaven but you still feel a big hole in your heart because they are no longer present.

After the resurrection, the apostles also felt lost. Even after witnessing that Jesus was alive, they were still afraid of the Jewish leaders. It was during one of these meetings behind closed doors that Jesus appeared to them:

"When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, 'Peace be with you.'” John 20:19

Jesus stayed around for forty days after He resurrected. He knew that His disciples needed clear directions. He couldn't just leave them without instructions. He needed to reassure them that all would be well after He went to heaven. These forty days are known as the Easter Season. It's the forty days between Easter and Pentecost.

We shouldn't allow the fact that the celebration of Easter Sunday is over, to put a dent on our spirits. Easter should not be looked at as just one day. Easter Sunday marks the beginning of a seven-week season. Even though the party is over because we are not going to continue having Easter egg hunts for seven weeks, we should remain in a festive mood. This should also be a time of spiritual growth. A season of deeper intimacy with God. It's a good time to pick up a good spiritual book, to continue reading the Bible or to join a Bible study (St. Louis is offering a 4-week study on the book of Ruth on Thursday mornings from April 23rd to May 14th). It's also a good time to help someone in need, to become involved in a charity of your choice or to participate in a fundraiser (Nico's Promise is having a luncheon and fashion show to raise funds for Miami Children's on April 26th). The important thing is not to allow the joy we felt during Easter to fade from our hearts.

If Lent is the season of fasting, Easter is the season for feasting. In this season we celebrate the fact that death has no power over us. It's a time to rejoice, to sing, to dance. If you gave up chocolate during Lent, give yourself permission to truly enjoy chocolate during Easter. I gave up bread during Lent. Bread had never tasted so good as it has this week. I've been enjoying hot bread and butter every morning as if I had never tasted such a delicacy in my entire life.

Lent is over but the journey is not over. We need to continue walking towards God and rejoice in the fact that He is Risen.

As we begin this Easter season, I leave you with this prayer:

Lord, the resurrection of Your Son

has given us new life and renewed hope.

Help us to live as new people

in pursuit of the Christian ideal.

Grant us wisdom to know what we must do,

the will to want to do it,

the courage to undertake it,

the perseverance to continue to do it,

and the strength to complete it.

source:New Saint Joseph People's Prayer Book