The Joy of Easter

Written by Fr. Ben Hawley, SJ on Easter Sunday, The Resurrection of the Lord

So, go to Walgreen’s and look at the Easter cards. I bet that some will say “Happy Easter!” and some will say “May the Joy of Easter be yours!” I will also bet that the “Happy Easter!” cards have bunnies, green grass, flowers, and jelly beans on the front. And the “Joy of Easter!” cards will have the Risen Jesus, perhaps with some disciples, in the foreground and the hill of Calvary with its three crosses silhouetted in the background against the rising sun.

Well, maybe I am wrong about the cards. But the happiness that we can experience in this human life comes and goes, often because the circumstances around us change. We respond to those changes with the wide variety of emotions that are a natural part of our lives. But the joy of Easter is unchangeable because it is independent of our circumstances. It is a gift from the God who loves us. It is a gift from Jesus who was once a human being like us, who faced unbelievable suffering and whom the Father led through that suffering into a new way of being that transcends human suffering.

When Jesus completed that transformation, he felt the joy of the Father’s divine love and shared it with his friends. They of course did not feel the joy immediately. They were too astonished, too unable to believe, too caught up the trauma they had so recently experienced. But the joy dawned on them – like the dawn after a dark night, like the coming of spring after winter.

Once they experienced that joy, though, their lives were transformed. The external circumstances of their lives may not have changed – the poor were still poor. But they knew inside themselves that their lives now had meaning and that they had worth in God’s eyes and hope in their own future.

The joy of Easter may not remain with us as joy as a permanent emotion. But it will remain as a deep assurance, a deep affirmation to which we can return at any time, especially in time of need. So, I hope your Easter Sunday and Easter Season will be happy. But much more I hope that the joy of the Risen Christ will continue to be your lifeline and inspiration today and in all the days to come.

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Fr. Ben Hawley, SJ
Fr. Ben, as Jesuit priest, has served as Pastor and Director of Catholic Campus Ministry since August 2010. As pastor his ministry focus is helping the parish be “the field hospital for the wounded,” per Pope Francis, where people discover Jesus’ liberation and healing. He also leads a communion service each game day for UM players and coaches of the football team. Following his ordination in June 2000 Fr. Ben served as President of Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School of Indianapolis until 2006. Prior to becoming Catholic in 1988, Fr. Ben worked for the Agency for International Development, the foreign assistance program of the US Government.
Email: [email protected]