The Gospel for Easter this year might remind us of little children. Mary of Magdala runs from the tomb when she sees it has been opened. Then Peter and the other disciple race each other to the tomb. The other one wins the race, but Peter goes in first (John 20:1–5). Picture the disciple stopping suddenly and Peter running into him, tripping and ending up in the tomb. But putting slapstick aside, there is another way they are like children.

Remember the Gospel about St. Thomas, who would not believe Jesus’ resurrection until he could see him? Compare that to the disciple in the Gospel, who “saw [the empty tomb] and believed” (John 20:9). That is real faith. For all he knew, someone could have taken Jesus’ body and left the cloths behind. But he must have remembered Jesus saying that he would rise again. That is the kind of faith we find in a little child.

Children will believe in things they cannot see, especially if there is a good reason. If we teach them that God made them and loves them, if we love them ourselves and teach them to love others, they will have good reasons to believe in God. As they get older, we can teach them how to pray, save money for the poor, visit the sick, or volunteer to help the homeless. We can reinforce what they learn in religion class and encourage them as they prepare for First Communion or Confirmation.

Jesus didn’t say that only children could enter the Kingdom. He said we must become like children if we want to enter the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 18:3). What he means is that not only can we help teach children how to have faith, but we can also learn from them about faith. Becoming like children does not mean being selfish or stubborn, throwing tantrums when we don’t get our way. Those are childish behaviors that we put aside. Instead, we can keep a child-like faith and trust in God. Teaching them about God is a great way to help our own faith to grow. By giving them real examples of God’s love for them, they will continue to believe long after they have given up the fairy tales of childhood.

-Tom Schmidt, Diocesan Publications

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TREASURES FROM OUR TRADITION

Over the centuries, the Church has demonstrated a wonderful ability to adopt a culture’s favorite symbols and customs and assign them new meaning. Easter eggs have a very ancient pedigree: nature’s perfect package, emblem of new life, dyed and decorated and given as gifts in ancient Egypt, Rome, China, and Persia. Just as the long hard winter is over, the egg bursts with promise of life and nourishment. Long ago, Christians came to see the egg not as a symbol of spring’s rebirth, but of ours, and as a sign of Christ’s tomb. A Polish legend says that Mary, in compassion for the soldiers at the cross, gave them eggs, but that her tears stained their shells with brilliant color. Legends have their origin in tales told around a hearth, but they often contain a profound truth. The idea of Mary, the first Christian, engaged in a merciful act of forgiveness and tenderness even in the shadow of the cross, describes the age‑old wish that Christ is “Easter in us.” —James Field, Diocesan Publications

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THE EASTER OCTAVE:  Easter Sunday – The First Sunday of Easter

Eastertime lasts fifty days: seven weeks of seven days (seven equals Biblical perfection) plus one day: perfection plus! Like an eight-day Jewish wedding, or a child who can’t bear to let go of Christmas, birthdays, and  school vacation, the Church celebrates the Easter Octave: “the marriage of heaven and earth,” as the Vigil calls Jesus’ resurrection; our new members’ baptismal rebirth; our renewal of baptismal vows; our hearts’ “divine vacation” (Latin vacare, “to be empty”), newfound time and space for love of God and neighbor. Make home an Easter Garden! Adorn the dining table with a pillar candle (your “paschal candle”), a bowl full of water, a vase of flowers, or bowl of sprouting grain with Easter eggs. Even non-singers can handle the three-fold Gospel Alleluia! Let that be your grace before meals, perhaps with a prayer recalling Emmaus (Luke 24:13-35): “Be known to us, Risen Lord Jesus, as you were to the first disciples, in your word, in the breaking of bread, and in everyone we meet.” —Peter Scagnelli, Diocesan Publications