Easter’s joy may be cloudily looming by so many, many of our accumulating years. Young ears heard about eternal judgment, again and again, and inculcated during those so very important and formative growing years. All about the practices (whether doing or missing them), memorizing them, honoring religious rites, and that oh so very, very important kneeling and standing at the correct times. And now, here we all are in the third chapter of our faith life’s journey.

Our faith formation time youth, in body, mind, and spirit, engendered into a rather beautiful and powerful gift of faith, was often based on that eternal, all awaiting, that unknown sometime but soon-to-come, judgment. Believing was secondary to the doing or as say, “practicing” our faith. Grace was considered a reward instead of strengthening us. Indulgences were a bonus, if practiced correctly – the right time and said correctly. Please notice that I said, “said” and not “prayed.”

It happened to be on a First Friday that I was distributing communion at a hospital. I entered her room and she sighed, “Thank goodness you’re here!” I felt flattered until she told me that she’d never missed First Friday communion in forty-one years and feared, being the hospital, that she would miss it. That’s the best example I have of our faith’s formative years growing up.

Analogously, we can safely say that we were taught the Hebrew Scripture or Old Testament method of living faith. Simply said, it was judgment and commandments. Fear can easily be inserted at any time and anywhere. “Pray, Pay and Obey” may sound funny now but it was the unspoken mantra of many Christian churches, including us Catholics.

Faith’s words of mercy, forgiveness, compassion, and generosity were spoken but intended to be “said,” (there’s that word again!).

The Christian Scripture or New Testament boldly holds up those words of mercy, forgiveness, compassion, and generosity.

The act of simply saying words to satisfy our jealous and loving God is transformed into the act of performing and bringing life to the words we say. Words no longer merely said but now believed and lived to the best of our gifts and abilities.

That’s the kind of Easter joy that’s available and celebrated for Catholics and Christians of all ages.