Throughout the Easter season, we will celebrate, entering into Christian festivity with the joy of Christ’s victory, which we have seen unfold in our lives. We also must maintain the fruits that have been given to us, making sure that we do not slide back toward Egypt and the oppression of the pharaohs that seek to dominate our time and attention. In addition, it’s time to act upon these fruits, embracing the mission that Jesus gives those who follow the Way of the Cross into his new life.
It can be hard to leave the structure of Exodus 90 and Lent behind, as it feels like the Easter season doesn’t have the same intensity and focus. When we read the Gospels, we see that Jesus used these fifty days to eat with his disciples, healing their wounds and preparing them to receive the Holy Spirit, who would propel them into the world. As we celebrate, it’s important to remember this, for our eating reflects the communion we gained with God and others more than a return to bingeing on the things we have given up. Rather than giving in to letdown or the blues after Lent, let’s stay focused on Christ. Just as we suffered with him, so now we will live with him.
Unpacking the Easter Season
We are turning to an unexpected source to unpack the gifts of the Easter season. The Book of Deuteronomy may not seem like the first choice to reflect our focus on celebration and mission, but we’ll see how, through its teaching, Moses prepares the Israelites to live in communion with God in the Promised Land. Our Exodus experience in Lent took us to the desert as we sought to leave the ways of Egypt behind. Jesus, the new Joshua, brought us to the brink of the Promised Land through his victory over the enemy, freeing us from the power of sin and death. Now, we have to continue to follow him, to partake of the new life he has won for us.
The teaching of Moses in Deuteronomy calls out the ways of the world that we must leave behind. In renewing the covenant, he also teaches God’s people how to adhere to his ways in love, embracing God’s Law not simply as a duty but as a means of making life itself into a holy sacrifice. Jesus will perfect the Law by sending his Holy Spirit into our hearts on Pentecost, towards which we are journeying throughout Easter 50, and teaching us all that we must do to live and love like Christ.
Brothers, today, we set out to enter into the joy and mission of Christ within the Promised Land of new life in him. Congratulations, and Happy Easter!
