The Catholic times. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1951-current, 1952-04-11
Just Among Ourselves
Passing Comment Considered or ineonsidersfs

Easter is the great and glorious Feast of the
Resurrection of Our Lord from the dead. The truth
of the Resurrection is an essential truth of Chris
tianity We may compare the great truths Tor chief
mysteries as the older catechism used to call them)
of our religion to the carefully chseed and closely
fitted stones in arch IF any of the stones is re-
moved the whole arch collapses.
Therefore we do not say that the Resurrection
is the most important of truths. The Importance of
all the stones in arch is equal Each stone has an
essential Importance We do say techoing st. Paul,
whose words the inspired words of Cod that II the
Resurrection be not fact there is no Christian re
lgion IF Christ be not risen, then is our preaching
. =. then is your faith in vain"
II is sad to think that this coming Easter morning
will see thousands of people trooping out to give
unmeant testimony that their faith is in vain. The
crowds will gaher-and among them will be dozens
at least of nominal Catholics who will miss Mass and
offend God grievously for the purpose of sharing IN
big public spectacle-to celebrate what is called
a sunrise service"
These people will contemplate (under the direc-
tion of some ardent spokesman the return OF light
after the nights rule of darkness Doubtless they
will have their attention called to the season. and
be given to understand that new growing things
around them give testimony that the death OF winter
has given way to the le-surge OF the spring But 1t
is very doubtful indeed that these sunrise services
will hear anything so startling the truth that
Jesus Christ really died, and on the third day after
His death, back to life again by His own
power.
But that is what Easter means TO Christian
II means the actual Resurrection OF Christ from the
dead And for anyone who ignores or denies TINS
truth the celebration OF a sunrise service is a
mont Christian observance II is not even pagan OBJ
servance for the pagans religious even though
their religion was false. For those who deny or
ignore the actual Resurrection, any Easter celebra-
tion (Sunrise, cande-ight fresh vegetable) is a
festival of seasonal sentiment, nonreligous In
character.
Indeed such festival is anti.religous in one
sense II dstracts people from truth. 1t substitutes
for due religious observance. 1t chooses the very
hour which ought TO find peoples minds intensely
engaged upon the allimp0rtan fact that Christ Is
truly God and the Savior of men, to make them think
of something else The sunrise service, and all such
fussy gongson are actually antlEaSter celebrations
To one who knows the truth of the Resurrec
ton, everything connected with the Feast which
commentaries il will suggest the truth itself Crea
ton does sometimes dimy, sometimes strikingly,
reflect the glories of the Creator The Christian viii
find in the renewal of light and the return OF Vege
tation facts to make him think of the Risen Christ
But He will not find the Resurrection OF Christ
fact to make him think of the dawn of Springtime.
The Christian gets his facts in due order; he is
not mixed up in the notion of how carts and horses
should be arranged.
On Easte. Day the Christian believer will be
aware of facts such as these God became Man to
save me by dying for me. He is forever God; He
became Man without ceasing to be God AS Man he
died upon the Cross 10 pay my debt and to open
heaven to me; also He died TO win me the help
need to take advantage of a reopened heaven. lie
truly died. His human soul was separated from His
human body; the Divinity Godhead remaining
conioined with body and soul On the third day by
His own divine will and powell His body and soul
we're reunited clothed with glory and He came
forth from the grave TO live earth again, and aft
erwards to ascend into heaven
The Christian believer will consider Christ, ris-
ine from the dead proves that He is truly God, the
master of life and death He shows me what He in
tends for me if | adore Him and do His will. He
shows me in pledge and promise my own resurrection
TO glory on the last day. The Resurrection shows me
the fact of eternal life and the way to achieve 1t.
II fires me with desire to know and do the will of
God to practice my religion ferventy, 10 advance in
virtue, to fit myself for glorious resurrection.
Now, in the face of such tremendous truths as
these how pale and insignificant is the business of
tramping out to hillside TO light candle and
watch the sunrise. 1t is the truth that makes men
free Truth frees the mind of fog; il frees the will
to elearcut and high resolve But sentimental serv-
ices only envelop man in swathings of feeling,
in an illusion of moving magnificently with big
crowd in the foolish notion that there is value in
spectacle as such
Sane sentiment, rising in the expression of
known TRUTH has its place. But sentiment substitute
ing for truth is always a caamitous failure. And
many an American hillside this Easter day Just such
a caamitous failure will be enacted. May those who
know and celebrate the truth of Easter, the fact of
the Resurrection, win by their devotion and fervor,
wave of Illuminating grace for the mudded millions
to whom Easter Day means dn addition to new
suit or new haD only the breaking OF the day or
the appearing of new fields of grass.