Eastertide Reflection 

By Krystal Fernandes ’24 

Eastertide is the period between Easter and Pentecost, April 9 – May 28 of this year. It also is called Easter Season. The first eight days of the season, from Easter Sunday to Divine Mercy Sunday, is the Octave of Easter.   

 

“God so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten Son, so that everyone who believes in Him might not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). The Son of Man came to this world, became human, and suffered while living a human life. He became one of us. He had a mother, a father, and had to have a job. But He did so much more. Although He was scared by what He knew would happen, Jesus took upon the weight of all our crosses and burdens. Jesus suffered for us when He had not done anything wrong. He was betrayed by one of His friends for nothing more than a few pieces of silver. He was tortured and killed, stripped of His dignity. He did all that for us. Jesus endured everything bad, so that we could call that Friday good. He rose from the dead and gave each of us new life. He died so that our hearts would be cleansed and that our heart’s desire would be united to Him once more.  

The world became dark, but we could see God’s light. In the dark shadows cast over our lives, God still wants to be our light. He went to the depths of Hell and fought the devil to protect us. There are no ends nor boundaries to God’s love for us. He wants to help us to forever grow closer to Him. The reason that Easter is the season of new life is because God died so that humanity could be reborn. We are forever changed by His sacrifice.  

Easter is the day that Jesus rose from the dead. It is the most important day in the Catholic Church. It is a day of celebration. It is a day of hope, renewal, and new life. Before Jesus’ Resurrection, there was not any hope for Eternal Life. There was only hope that the Messiah would come to save all of us. Jesus gave the world hope for eternal salvation. He saved us from sin and gave us new life. He renewed us. He bestowed upon us complete happiness in the fact that we would be united to Him completely. The relationship between humans and God was renewed. The love shared was no longer tainted because our debt had been paid and our sins had been forgiven. From the moment Jesus came, life was forever improved. Easter is an event that transcends time. It has affected everyone both in the past and now in the same manner. We are all saved from sin because of Jesus’ sacrifice.  

There are hundreds of symbols of new life and Easter, but some of the most common ones are the bunny and the chick because they represent springtime and new birth.  God died to take away the burden of sin from us so that we would have goodness within our hearts if we chose it. God gifted goodness to each of us, but He also allowed us to freely choose whether or not we want to show it. Bunnies and chicks have just come into this world. They do not fully understand the world around them, yet they are not scared when they have something to protect them. In that same way, we do not have to be fearful because we have God to protect us. He has already made the ultimate sacrifice to do so, and there is nothing He would not do to continue to protect us. He has handpicked Guardian Angels to protect us from all harm and to intercede on our behalf. Jesus sends everyone around us to be vessels of His love. Everyone in our lives was sent to us because of God. Although He is always there for us, He wanted there to be visible, tangible signs of His overflowing love for each of us. Just before the Crucifixion Jesus was abandoned and left completely alone, so that we would never have to feel that immense loneliness. Like bunnies and chicks, we can take comfort in knowing that we are protected. We can therefore focus on becoming all that God made us to be. 

As we continue on in this time of celebration, let us remember what Easter season is actually about. Yes, it is great to end our Lenten sacrifices and eat a giant chocolate bunny and a ton of food, but there is so much more. It is a time to be grateful to God for all that He has done for us. His love is so powerful that He sent His only Son to die on a cross so that we might be saved. It is a time to see all of God’s love around us, such as in our families, friends, and nature. Let us ask Jesus to let us never forget His ultimate sacrifice and how He rose from the dead to save all of us.  

Jesus’ death on the cross was not a tragedy, He rose from the dead. He became our strength and our shield. Jesus died so that we would have Eternal Life.