Spiritual Snippet -- Easter Reflections

Happy Easter!  Wow!  I can't believe how fast Lent went by this year.  Easter is one of those special days we spend with close family and friends.  We attend church services wearing our Easter dresses and suits.  We join our friends and family for a nice meal. We may even join our children in an Easter egg hunt or dye eggs together.  It's a day of joy and happiness!  It's a day we honor Our Lord.

Nature's beauty The weather here in Dallas has been gorgeous. The last remains of Old Man winter have passed with plenty of sunshine and a few April showers bringing us much needed rain.  Bees are pollinating my English lavender bushes while my "wild" rose bush is beginning to bloom.  As I see Spring awakening all around me, I think of Mary Magdalene beside the empty tomb weeping and mourning.  But, then she is overjoyed when she realizes Jesus' resurrection.

 Amazing!  Miraculous!  All that Jesus said was true!

A special priestly touch I must say the highlight of this past weekend's Easter liturgies was the Holy Saturday Vigil.  Our pastor put together a beautiful mass.  I felt so proud to participate in the celebration.  At one point during the confirmation ceremony, a pregnant woman walked up to the front to receive the sacramental oil.  After our pastor placed the sign of the cross on the woman's forehead, he  motioned the sign of the cross over her small "baby bump"!  I just happen to see this gesture from where I was seated.  Nobody else behind him would have noticed.  I thought, "God is good! This woman will always remember the special attention our pastor gave to her unborn child on such a special occasion."

Pennies for the Trinity I just so happen to find three lucky pennies this weekend!  Two in the Target parking lot and one in the church parking lot. Pennies are a rare find these days, especially in our growing cashless society, so I didn't simply discard the little pieces of copper.  I thought of these pennies as an awesome reminder of the Holy Trinity!  I felt like the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit have been guiding me as I busily prepared for the Triduum liturgies.

Birthday Blitz  Today is my 40th birthday.  Nice that it's occurring around Easter this year.  Some years it actually falls on Easter Sunday.  I've already received about 20 Facebook "Happy Birthday" posts.  My coworker decorated my cubicle with a birthday banner and balloons.  Even Google has a "Happy Birthday, Jennifer!" on my search home page with images of cupcakes.  I received a free cup of coffee at the gas station even though I think this was on accident.  (The lady just forgot to charge me.)  Yesterday my family cooked me a nice meal with plenty of vegetables since I've gone back on my vegetarian diet.  Of course, the fun part is receiving a load of birthday cash!  I've already spent it on some beauty products.  Need to keep my "looks" up since I'm now officially over the hill...

I thank Our Lord for blessing me with another birthday!  Life is so precious. Some people don't even live to be 20, 30 or even age 40.  I now have a new found wisdom that I didn't possess even five years ago.  Even though my body is aging, I'm trying to keep my mind sharp.  Praying, meditating, reading sacred scripture, reading the writings of the saints, and learning more about my faith really helps along in the aging process.  

Saint Mary Magdalene, Pray for Us!

-J.