Be the Light - A Reflection for Easter, 2024

First published in the April 1, 2024 Bulletin of St. Vincent Ferrer Catholic Church, Delray Beach, FL

It is often said that we are an Easter people. We strive to live in the light of Christ; in the light of His Resurrection. Pope Saint John Paul II referred to this in his Angelus address in Adelaide, Australia on November 30, 1986, during his Apostolic Journey to the Far East and Oceania. One paragraph of that brief address is particularly appropriate for Easter:

“We do not pretend that life is all beauty. We are aware of darkness and sin, of poverty and pain. But we know Jesus has conquered sin and passed through his own pain to the glory of the Resurrection. And we live in the light of his Paschal Mystery - the mystery of his Death and Resurrection. ‘We are an Easter People and Alleluia is our song!’. We are not looking for a shallow joy but rather a joy that comes from faith, that grows through unselfish love, that respects the ‘fundamental duty of love of neighbor, without which it would be unbecoming to speak of Joy’. We realize that joy is demanding; it demands unselfishness; it demands a readiness to say with Mary: ‘Be it done unto me according to thy word’.”

As we journey through the Easter season, which continues into May this year, let us be mindful that we need to always carry this light of the Paschal Mystery to one another. We have the lives of many saints to inspire us in this journey. Saint Frances Cabrini, whose story is told in a movie in theaters now, is one saint who we see bringing this light. Contemporary saints we have seen carry this light include Saint Teresa of Calcutta, Saint Maximillian Kolbe, Saint Teresa Benedict of the Cross, Saint Pio of Pietrelana, and, of course, Pope Saint John Paul II.

May this Easter bring us the grace to always live in the light, and to carry it to others.