During my years as an editor, I have spent hours looking through photos to find the best image to accompany a particular story.
I often found it most difficult to choose a photo for a story about a Mass because the congregants, in most photos, brought to mind a quote from Saint Teresa of Avila: “From … sour-faced saints, good Lord, deliver us!”
Not a smile to be seen. How could a church full of so many people who love Jesus carry such a heavy air of seriousness? I thought. Where is the joy?
Joy, after all, is the hallmark of the most important of all Christian holy days—Easter; the time of Christ’s Resurrection, and realization of the promise of eternal life.
But it seems we shortchange ourselves on the joy, and the opportunity to celebrate the most glorious of God’s promises. Like Thanksgiving dinner, which takes hours of preparation and is gobbled down in just minutes, Easter seems to be over and done with at the end of a day of egg hunts, a special meal, and way too much candy.
But the Church marks Easter as a season. Not just one day but 50, celebrated through the Feast of Pentecost. Not only that, but the first eight days of that season is considered the Octave of Easter, which means that every one of those days is considered a Solemnity on the liturgical calendar. No other feast may be celebrated on those eight days.
It makes sense, really, when we consider just how significant Easter is for our Christian faith. Saint John Paul II taught that “The whole Octave of Easter is like a single day,” providing us with an opportunity to express “thanksgiving for the goodness God has shown man in the whole Easter mystery.”
If I am, to be honest, I never really made much of the Easter season when my sons were growing up. The only remnants of Easter during those 50 days were dyed Easter eggs in the fridge and Palm Crosses stuck out from behind religious icons.
But now, as an adult with a bit more wisdom, I am sorry I didn’t do more for my family. Navigating the world is hard and it might have helped my sons on their journey if we devoted more time to the joy of our faith, rather than just the expectations; joy that Brother David Steindl-Rast describes as “the kind of happiness that doesn’t depend on what happens.”
That kind of joy requires peace of mind and spirit. That’s where faith comes in.
So for the rest of these 50 days, I’ve decided to invest myself more in the Easter season, especially reflecting on the words of the prayers and hymns at Mass. Jesus Christ is risen today! Alleluia! What does this truly mean to me as a Christian?
In addition, I hope to remind myself of the reason for this season by smiling more when I’m in church. Joy should be the hallmark of a Christian, as well, and you never know when there might be a photographer around.
Mary Regina Morrell is a Catholic journalist, author, and syndicated columnist who has served the dioceses of Metuchen and Trenton, New Jersey, and RENEW International in the areas of catechesis and communication.