A Blessed and a Holy Easter to all on the forum. I always think at this time of year thing seem to shine in a special Easter Light: https://spiritdaily.org/blog/mystic-on-the-resurrection/ The Resurrection of Our Lord I BEHELD the soul of our Lord between two angels, who were in the attire of warriors: it was bright, luminous, and resplendent as the sun at midday; it penetrated the rock, touched the sacred body, passed into it, and the two were instantaneously united, and became as one. I then saw the limbs move, and the body of our Lord, being reunited to his soul and to his divinity, rise and shake off the winding-sheet: the whole of the cave was illuminated and lightsome. At the same moment I saw a frightful monster burst from the earth underneath the sepulchre. It had the tail of a serpent, and it raised its dragon head proudly as if desirous of attacking Jesus; and had likewise, if I remember correctly, a human head. But our Lord held in his hand a white staff, to which was appended a large banner; and he placed his foot on the head of the dragon, and struck its tail three times with his staff, after which the monster disappeared. I had had this same vision many times before the Resurrection, and I saw just such a monster, appearing to endeavor to hide itself, at the time of the conception of our Lord: it greatly resembled the serpent which tempted our first parents in Paradise, only it was more horrible. I thought that this vision had reference to the prophetic words, that ‘by the seed of the woman the head of the serpent should be crushed,’ and that the whole was intended to demonstrate the victory of our Lord over death, for at the same moment that I saw him crush the head of the monster, the tomb likewise vanished from my sight. I then saw the glorified body of our Lord rise up, and it passed through the hard rock as easily as if the latter had been formed of some ductile substance. The earth shook, and an angel in the garb of a warrior descended from Heaven with the speed of lightning, entered the tomb, lifted the stone, placed it on the right side, and seated himself upon it. At this tremendous sight the soldiers fell to the ground, and remained there apparently lifeless. When Cassius saw the bright light which illuminated the tomb, he approached the place where the sacred body had been placed, looked at and touched the linen clothes in which it had been wrapped, and left the sepulcher, intending to go and inform Pilate of all that had happened. However, he tarried a short time to watch the progress of events; for although he had felt the earthquake, seen the angel move the stone, and looked at the empty tomb, yet he had not seen Jesus. At the very moment in which the angel entered the sepulchre and the earth quaked, I saw our Lord appear to his holy Mother on Calvary. His body was beautiful and lightsome, and its beauty was that of a celestial being. He was clothed in a large mantle, which at one moment looked dazzlingly white, as it floated through the air, waving to and fro with every breath of wind, and the next reflected a thousand brilliant colors as the sunbeams passed over it. His large open wounds shone brightly, and could be seen from a great distance: the wounds in his hands were so large that a finger might be put into them without difficulty; and rays of light proceeded from them, diverging in the direction of his fingers. The souls of the patriarchs bowed down before the Mother of our Savior, and Jesus spoke to her concerning his Resurrection, telling her many things which I have forgotten. He showed her his wounds; and Mary prostrated to kiss his sacred feet; but he took her hand, raised her, and disappeared. When I was at some distance from the sepulchre, I saw fresh lights burning there, and I likewise beheld a large luminous spot in the sky immediately over Jerusalem.
Happy Easter to all on this beautiful forum on this most glorious day. Christ is Risen! He is truly Risen! Alyce and i again thank you all for your prayers. We can only say God is so good to us. God is Love! i received this reflection early this morning. Perfect! ------------ Today we don’t just remember something that happened 2,000 years ago—we stand in the shockwave of the GREATEST victory in human history. Jesus Christ is RISEN. Death lost. Despair lost. Fear lost. And YOU—you’ve already won, because HE won. No matter what your life looks like right now... No matter what burden you’re carrying... There’s a new headline over your entire story: Eternal Victory. So breathe it in today. Let the light back in. Let the joy break through. Because Easter isn’t just a holy day. It’s your new beginning. Your permission to hope again. Your reminder that the worst thing is never the last thing. So let’s celebrate like it’s true. Let’s love like it’s true. Let’s live like people who know the tomb is empty. The world needs this joy. And thanks to Easter... you’ve got it. He is RISEN. He is HERE. And He’s not done with you yet.
Happy Easter to everyone, with an abundance of peace, love, and blessings—may the Risen Christ, our Savior, bring them to you and your loved ones. Here is a message from someone much wiser and far holier than me. "May the grace of the Holy Resurrection lead you, guard you, enlighten you, sanctify you, and unite you with the Divine Bridegroom Jesus! Happy Easter to you! May the Divine Savior grant that you always celebrate Easter in your soul. This means: may the grace of the Holy Spirit always triumph within you over your moods, nature, and feelings, and may the holy will of God prevail over your human will. May holy rules prevail within you, and not your own spirit, feelings, or fatigue. May the love of God always triumph in you over every natural, earthly love. May obedience, poverty, holy purity, humility, modesty, and silence prevail within you. In this way, there will always be Easter in your soul. (...) May humility, simplicity, and the spirit of sacrifice guide you and make you like Jesus and Mary. This is the wish of your spiritual father with a holy blessing." The Venerable Servant of God, Fr. Ante Antić Zagreb, March 28, 1956.
May each of us receive God’s grace of a personal encounter with the resurrected Christ. Fr. Mark Goring is on fire again! If you have little time, at least watch and listen to a) Fr. Mark’s Holy Spirit-filled, powerful, uplifting, and soul-stirring homily and b) the special blessings imparted at the conclusion of the Mass. Since God is beyond space and time, His graces and blessings are for all of us!
