Easter 2021: ‘Behold, I make all things new’

March 17, 2021 at 8:35 p.m.
Easter 2021: ‘Behold, I make all things new’
Easter 2021: ‘Behold, I make all things new’

Bishop David M. O'Connell, C.M.

The three days before Easter Sunday are, indeed, instructive.  They speak of commitment to something great, of sharing our very selves with one another, of the sacrifice that comes with love, of the precious yet limited time we have on this earth, of the hope that beyond this life, there is even more, even better — in fact, an eternity of joy for those who have faith in God and live their lives in love! 

These are good lessons.  These are all part of the Easter message for those of us who believe in the Life, Death and Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ — and they are comforting for all people of good will, no matter what their faith traditions may be.  Easter and this wondrous season of new life all around us are a time of peace and promise.

The past year has not been easy, to say the very least.  That is true because of the pandemic and the economy, but those are not the only reasons. Within society at large — while some wonderful things have occurred through the heroism and generosity of many — there have been some tensions, some hurts, some racism, some distrust, some divisions, and some incivility — anything but the peace or promise of Easter. 

The great thing about the cycle of life and the change of seasons is that we can look always forward to the next thing in our lives, hopefully wiser and more caring than in the cycle and season that went before.

We have a few days now during Holy Week and Easter to take a deep breath, to pause and reflect on what is really important, to pray and grow closer to God, to embrace those we love in the ways that only such holy days provide, to place the hurts we have felt or still feel in the wounded hands and feet and side of the Lord who was nailed to a cross in these very days, to die to ourselves and our own selfishness and pride only to rise to a new and different life in which those things are left behind. Take the time, make the time to do all these things as life is renewed all around us!

Easter is a special time for Christians, for everyone really.  While Holy Thursday and Good Friday — and the sacrificial events they commemorate — always come first, there is now and always will follow the sunrise of Easter and the peace and promise of eternal life.

“Behold, I make all things new,” Jesus said.  In faith, let us let HIM do so.  “For, behold,” he reminds us, “I am with you all days, even until the end of time” (Matthew 28:20).

Happy Easter to you all!


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The three days before Easter Sunday are, indeed, instructive.  They speak of commitment to something great, of sharing our very selves with one another, of the sacrifice that comes with love, of the precious yet limited time we have on this earth, of the hope that beyond this life, there is even more, even better — in fact, an eternity of joy for those who have faith in God and live their lives in love! 

These are good lessons.  These are all part of the Easter message for those of us who believe in the Life, Death and Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ — and they are comforting for all people of good will, no matter what their faith traditions may be.  Easter and this wondrous season of new life all around us are a time of peace and promise.

The past year has not been easy, to say the very least.  That is true because of the pandemic and the economy, but those are not the only reasons. Within society at large — while some wonderful things have occurred through the heroism and generosity of many — there have been some tensions, some hurts, some racism, some distrust, some divisions, and some incivility — anything but the peace or promise of Easter. 

The great thing about the cycle of life and the change of seasons is that we can look always forward to the next thing in our lives, hopefully wiser and more caring than in the cycle and season that went before.

We have a few days now during Holy Week and Easter to take a deep breath, to pause and reflect on what is really important, to pray and grow closer to God, to embrace those we love in the ways that only such holy days provide, to place the hurts we have felt or still feel in the wounded hands and feet and side of the Lord who was nailed to a cross in these very days, to die to ourselves and our own selfishness and pride only to rise to a new and different life in which those things are left behind. Take the time, make the time to do all these things as life is renewed all around us!

Easter is a special time for Christians, for everyone really.  While Holy Thursday and Good Friday — and the sacrificial events they commemorate — always come first, there is now and always will follow the sunrise of Easter and the peace and promise of eternal life.

“Behold, I make all things new,” Jesus said.  In faith, let us let HIM do so.  “For, behold,” he reminds us, “I am with you all days, even until the end of time” (Matthew 28:20).

Happy Easter to you all!

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