The Joy of the Resurrection

When I was in the Holy Land last July, one of the best parts of the trip was hearing the different perspectives of all the other pilgrims in my group. One thing that especially stood out to me was from the day that we visited the Holy Sepulcher- the tomb where Jesus had lain for three days.

Leading up to our Mass inside the tomb, we had woken up early to carry a cross through the streets of Jerusalem, following the Via Dolorosa, which was the path Jesus followed on His way to the crucifixion. We went through the Stations of the Cross, ending outside of the Holy Sepulchre.

Inside, we prayed upon the stone where Jesus’ body had been prepared for burial, and briefly saw Golgotha, the place of the crucifixion. We later had time to visit Golgotha, but first had to hurry to the tomb for our allotted Mass Time.

The majority of us were quite emotional during the Mass, as the Via Dolorosa moved us in a new way. Similar to watching a movie like Schindlers List, it gave us a new perspective on the Crucifixion that widened our understanding and deepened our feelings on the story we’ve heard year after year on Good Friday.

Later in the day, I was speaking to one of the other pilgrims in our group, my now-friend Grace. She explained to me that during the Mass in the tomb, she felt an overwhelming sense of joy: the joy of the Resurrection. She said she felt weird at the time, trying to suppress a smile while the rest of us were weeping, and how she just felt this intense joy the whole time.

Now, while I am a cradle Catholic who wholeheartedly believes in the Resurrection, I must say I did not understand her emotion. I’ve always loved the Easter Vigil Mass, but other than that, I never really liked Easter itself all that much. The main reason I liked it was because it meant Lent was over, and we could now sing the Gloria and Alleluia and have the bells rung at Mass.

After my trip to the Holy Land, Advent and Christmas were completely different for me. Honestly, pretty much everything was different for me. So I was hoping that this Lent and Easter also feel brand new, and maybe I would appreciate the resurrection more. But as I journeyed through Lent, I mainly felt the same, wondering what Grace had meant when she said she felt the joy of the resurrection.

Unfortunately, during Lent, my Great-Grandmother (Granny) became quite ill and was placed in hospice care. I am so blessed that all of my grandparents are still alive, and I even have personal memories of five(!!) of my great-grandparents. There have been a few deaths in my life that were hard on me, but none of those were people that I knew to be Catholic or even religious.

While Granny was in hospice, it was devastating to continue to see her deteriorate. She lived a long and beautiful life, and lived to see all of her great-grandchildren reach high school and beyond. We all hoped Jesus would take her home swiftly in the night, so she could dance with her husband again.

As I frequently visited my Granny “in the facility” (as she called it), her faith remained unshakeable. There was one day when she seemed to be in a sort of dream-state (probably due to her painkillers), and nothing she mumbled made any sense. But once, she woke up for a moment, saw my uncle and me sitting with her, and said, clear as day, “thank the Lord in heaven for all my beautiful blessings” and fell back asleep.

On Wednesday of Holy Week, my Granny passed away while her daughter (my grandma) said the rosary with her. They were on the 4th mystery on Wednesday: the Assumption of Mary.

It was beautiful timing because the next several days were deeply religious days, and my family went to church for Triduum services (Holy Thursday, and Good Friday) and then attended Easter Vigil Mass on Saturday night. As the lights came up and the bells rang, I teared up in trying to sing the Gloria as I realized that Granny was with me, singing along. Because I Believe in the Communion of Saints. And I Believe in the Resurrection. And Granny was the first very close person to me that I truly believe is in heaven. So Easter was different for me this year, and I really do understand it now.

The Joy of the Resurrection.