As a child, Christmas reigned supreme. The entire year was spent in anticipation of the season. Of course, the gifts held a special point of attention, but the whole season of family, food, music, and the Nativity captured every facet of my little mind. Easter on the other hand, was often a rainy day and lacked the exciting ambiance of Christmas. To make things worse, it was preceded by months of fasting and excessive trips to church during Holy Week.
As I have grown older, Christmas retains its glory, but Easter has captured my heart. In stark contrast to my little self, I look forward to Lent and Holy Week.
This change is not the result of outgrowing a childlike desire for gifts. Rather, it reflects a shift in the type of gifts desired. As I have matured so has the gravity of my sins. I can more plainly see their severity and harmful consequences. The need for God’s mercy and restorative love are real. Every element of Lent reassures us of God’s promise and faithfulness to accomplish our salvation.
The Responsorial Psalms of Lent offer us a snapshot of this. We see our brokenness and inability to save ourselves: “Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned” (Ps 51). Yet, our hope is God: “Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you” (Ps 33). And that trust is not in vain: “With the Lord there is mercy and fullness of redemption” (Ps 130). The common theme is God’s mercy and our absolute need for it.
Today, either by a trick of the devil or the desire to not offend we have the tendency to downplay the seriousness of sin. We call sin a mistake or, because we can identify the lesser good a person is pursuing, we are able justify almost any action. If no one really sins, then no one needs a savior and the cross is reduced to divine theatrics. However loving or compassionate minimizing sin seems, it is quite the opposite. It leaves the person trapped in their brokenness and eternally separated from their greatest good, God.
Msgr. James Shea put it like this: we cannot accept the good news of our salvation unless we first accept the bad news of the fall. Without understanding the horror of sin and its consequences, it is impossible to understand the magnitude of God’s gift of salvation.
In her diary, St. Faustina wrote, “Although sin is an abyss of wickedness and ingratitude, the price paid for us can never be equaled. Therefore, let every soul trust in the Passion of the Lord, and place its hope in His mercy. God will not deny His mercy to anyone.”
True joy is not found by denying our brokenness but in embracing God’s mercy and restorative love. As St. Peter says in the second reading, “you rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy, as you attain the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls” (1 Pt 1:8-9).
This is a true gift, as we have done nothing to earn it. In the face of such gratuitous love, we may still struggle with doubt or feelings of unworthiness. To this insecurity, Jesus gives us consolation. He taught St. Faustina to address fear and doubt by praying “Jesus, I trust in you.” As we repeatedly pray this prayer, we recognize that our salvation is not a matter of our own worthiness, but His. His love and sacrifice on the cross are infinitely more powerful than our sins. Jesus is the anchor of our salvation, and His Divine mercy our hope.
Christmas and Easter are our greatest feasts because they are testaments of our Heavenly Father who knows the gifts we need and lavishly gives them to us. All praise and glory be to God our Savior. Happy Easter!
