As my faith grew and matured I realised the significance of Easter as the greatest Christian feast, celebrating the Resurrection of Jesus from the dead. The Easter season, beginning on Easter Sunday and concluding on the Day of Pentecost, consists of fifty days of rejoicing, marking the occasion of the triumphant victory of Jesus over sin and death on the Cross. It comes after the celebration of Holy Week, which for me is a reminder of the consolation and hope that comes from having faith in Christ.
The Easter Triduum of Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Saturday is a very solemn time. I find it particularly moving to being in the congregation of worshipers in my home parish, venerating the cross of Christ on Good Friday and then passing on the light of Christ during the Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday. The Easter liturgies are a reminder to me of the culminating truth of the Christian faith, the gift of God’s grace and the new life that Jesus offers through his Resurrection.
I also find the Easter Triduum significant in how it relates to my own life. It took on added meaning for me during the year I lived in Rome with other young Catholics from around the world in 2011-12. There I spent much time in prayer beside the World Youth Day Cross at Centro San Lorenzo – the International Youth Centre at the Vatican. Being so close to this large wooden cross, 3.8 metres high, which Pope St John Paul II entrusted to the youth of the world in 1984, helped me to feel the intimate love of Jesus, and surrender my struggles to him.
Several years later my faith was tested by a traumatic experience in my life. This brought me close to the Cross of Jesus once more. I was also studying for an MA in Chaplaincy Studies and Pastoral Work and this course was demanding at an academic and personal level. I needed to rely on my intense faith and trust in God to help me cope during this period which included the Covid pandemic. I learned the redemptive meaning of suffering, “offering it up” to Jesus, his arms outstretched on the Cross in love for me. I found places of refuge for my emotional healing, sacred sanctuaries of Churches and nourishing places in nature where I could express my thoughts in writing and rest in the contemplative peace of God.
Throughout my life journey the Cross has been a powerful symbol of hope for me because it is not the end. I think of the healing and new life that God has given me through my faith in the Resurrection. I have always believed that Jesus could heal and is healing me. But healing is a process which takes time. I have been blessed to receive God’s healing presence in the Sacraments of the Catholic Church. I’ve also been fortunate to receive great support from mental health professionals which has helped me to ‘drop the struggle’ and strive for wholeness and this has helped heal me psychologically and holistically in body, soul and mind.
An important element of healing is embodying forgiveness, which is not only a key Christian virtue but an important psychological construct. Forgiving from the heart is not easy especially when you have been hurt. My journey with learning to forgive has been a life-long one. Forgiving now I am hopefully finding a bit easier and it helps me to let go. I realise I can’t be true to my faith and experience healing and inner peace without forgiving first. In fact research has also demonstrated that forgiveness “is linked to mental health outcomes such as reduced anxiety, depression and major psychiatric disorders”.[1]
Throughout my adult years going on pilgrimages to holy places and spending time on retreat away from the busyness of life has been a great source of consolation for me. One of my go-to places has been the Franciscan Abbey in Multyfarnham which was founded in 1268 and continues to be an active centre of Franciscan mission in Ireland. I love praying in the Blessed Sacrament Chapel there I am particularly struck by the outdoor Way of the Cross with life-sized statues. I always come away with a deep sense of inner peace leaving this special place. So in that context it was a particular blessing to attend the Easter Sunday Mass of the Resurrection of the Lord in the Friary this year.
[1] Weir, Kirsten. [n.d.]. “Forgiveness Can Improve Mental and Physical Health,” Apa.org <https://www.apa.org/monitor/2017/01/ce-corner> [accessed 31 March 2024]
