Liturgical Easter Hangover

It was great to get the liturgical Easter hangover out of the way this morning. What was that? What am I talking about?  Oh – well, that is what I call this Sunday. It is like we have all just got up from a rough night before on the second Sunday of Easter. We spend a week of building toward Easter in all the richness of the Holy Week celebrations, and then we take a week off. When we show up again on the second Sunday, we seem to have forgotten that we still bask in the glow of the Easter candle.  This morning when I lead with the words, “Alleluia Christ is risen!” The response that the congregation offers (usually with exuberance)  is THE LORD IS RISEN INDEED, ALLELUIA! Today, It was a little less than exuberant and at 8 AM it was barely audible.

Now don’t be getting all sensitive about this evaluation of our liturgical laxity. I  FULLY understand appreciate how it is to sort of feel a little out of steam after a REALLY big week of celebration the resurrection. In many ways – I feel that in every fibre of my being. Yet, we have to be reminded that we have 50 days of Easter and they should be exciting and they should be joyful. The church has designed the seasons in such a way that there is a festive feel to the 50 days that follow the solemnity of the 40 days of Lent!  As liturgically limp as we might feel, we have to dig deep and take on the next party. I am reminded of a wedding weekend back out east in Newfoundland.  There is the party that takes place the night before the rehearsal as we get reunited with friends and family, the party after the rehearsal, the wedding itself which is the mother of all parties, the party at the gift opening the next day, and if you do it right the party the next night if you have family to leave to return to their homes! It is one long weekend of celebrating. When its all over – it is easy to succumb to the idea that we need to get back to reality, back to work, back to solemnity. Alas, we will not treat our Easter celebration that way. Yes we have been ‘busy’ with church but we have so much to celebrate we are going to let Joy dominate our worship, and our lives. And I am proud to say that the people of God did not disappoint at St. Mark’s today.

While we may have started slow this morning at both Masses, we got it together and our celebrations were filled with Easter Joy [Rick Gelinas was so joyful he wore his Maple Leafs Jersey to 8 AM a week early just to remind me that they beat the Montreal Canadiens last evening]. At 10:30 we enjoyed each other’s company at the Soup Luncheon ans we celebrated Nettie Sears 85 birthday. You can see in the phots that we had a great time. We also committed to follow the example of Thomas seek out the wounds of Jesus in the world, enter into those wounds and recognize God and declare God’s presence when we see the wounds.  To that end I invite you to again read my blog from yesterday regarding Similac Sunday. As noted we have envelopes available at the church for your use if you wish to give. I’m not sure if everyone understood that the envelopes were at the back of the church or not and I have not looked to see if a tonne of them have been taken or not. But please consider responding to God by seeking to touch the wounds of Jesus. That woundedness  can certainly be found in an infants hunger. 

Jerry Marcotte sent me a great PowerPoint about Mother Theresa which I attached it in the email that I reminding you that this page is updated. If you are not on my email list, get in touch with me and I will send it to you as well. One of my favourite quotes of hers is “If you can’t feed a hundred people. Feed just one.”  In this Similac Sunday we have a great opportunity to heed her words.

Thanks for a great day everyone – you helped me past my the liturgical Easter hangover.