As they say in the Eastern Orthodox Church, “Christ is Risen! (Christos Anesti) with the response “Truly He is Risen!” (Alithos Anesti). This greeting gets to the very heart of what we celebrate, the central event of Christianity: the resurrection of Christ! To say “Happy Easter,” as nice as it sounds, seems empty when compared to the Eastern Orthodox greeting.
Of course, to get to Easter, we hopefully accompanied Our Lord in his suffering and death. I always say I hate drama, but the one exception to this is the drama of Holy Week—and it is dramatic! Beginning with Palm Sunday with cries of, “Hosannah to the Son of David,” we know in our hearts that those same voices will later cry out, “Crucify Him.” As the week unfolds, the Scriptures of the Monday show Mary of Bethany anointing the feet of Jesus in preparation for his burial. Tuesday highlights the role of Judas and his betrayal, and Wednesday, often referred to as “Spy Wednesday,” highlights the 30 pieces of silver, the price settled on for the betrayal of Jesus by Judas.
It is only then that the true drama begins to unfold with the Sacred Triduum, launched with the Last Supper, the washing of feet and the institution of the priesthood and the great gift of the Eucharist. The drama continues Good Friday with that total, perfect sacrifice of Christ on the cross, a cross that each one of us is invited to reverence. The drama takes a turn of silence as we ponder our Lord in the tomb on Holy Saturday during the Easter Vigil, and then in all of its glory, we celebrate the resurrection of Christ and His power over sin and death at Easter. As I mentioned, I don’t like drama, but Holy Week is the one exception!
EASTER & THE HOLY JUBILEE YEAR OF HOPE
As we enter into the 50 days of Easter, it is the perfect time to remind everyone of the Jubilee Year of Hope and the indulgence that can be obtained during this Holy Year. An indulgence reminds us of “the unlimited nature of God’s mercy. Not by chance that for the ancients, the terms “mercy” and “indulgence” were interchangeable, as expressions of the fullness of God’s forgiveness, which knows no bounds. The indulgence, therefore, is a jubilee grace … the faithful can repeat these visits throughout the holy year, even daily, acquiring a plenary indulgence each time period.”
In the day-chapel at St. Agnes Cathedral, Springfield, can be found a beautiful crucifix with a binder of required holy year prayers, along with the stipulations of the reception of Holy Communion, confession within 20 days, and prayer for the Pope’s intentions, to gain the plenary indulgence to be applied for oneself or for the deceased. At Cape Girardeau’s St. Mary of the Annunciation Cathedral, a relic of the True Cross can be found to the left of the sanctuary with the necessary prayers.
Let these 50 days of Easter be a true time of “indulgence!” As an added mercy or indulgence, I will soon Decree two more sites for indulgence, during our upcoming Camp Re-NEW-All at both Camp St. Vincent, in Fredericktown, and at Camp Carlo, in Conway. Special crosses are being built for each camp and with the offering of confession each week, our campers will be able to receive the Holy Year of Hope indulgence as well.
The 50 days of Easter would be a perfect time to plan a “pilgrimage” to one of our cathedrals and along with Reconciliation and praying the prayers found in the binder, may the words of Pope Francis ring true throughout this Holy Year 2025, “For everyone, may the Jubilee be a moment of genuine, personal encounter with the Lord Jesus, the ‘door’ of our salvation, whom the Church is charged to proclaim always, everywhere, and to all as ‘our hope.’”.
“O Sacrament Most Holy, O Sacrament Divine, all praise and all thanksgiving be every moment Thine.” Remember, “Christ is Risen….Truly, He is Risen!”
Published in the April 11, 2025 issue of The Mirror.