9781644135945

The Easter Cycle
of death surrounded me, the sorrows of hell encompassed me; and in my affliction I called
upon the Lord, and He heard my voice from His holy temple” (Introit). Feeling the burden
of our sinfulness, we cry out: “Graciously hear, we beseech Thee, O Lord, the prayers of Thy
people, that we who are justly afflicted for our sins, may mercifully be freed for the glory of
Thy name” (Collect).
Having made our humble plea for mercy, we arise to gird ourselves for the struggle that
lies ahead of us. The goal which we expect to reach is the eternal resurrection. But to attain our
goal we must chastise our bodies and bring them into subjection (Epistle). The strength to
persevere in this life of self-denial we must seek from God, who will not deny His help to those
who seek Him (Gradual). With the catechumens let us present ourselves again as laborers in
the vineyard of the Lord. In this vineyard we shall work out our own salvation and that of our
neighbor, and shall contribute to the success of the Church on earth. We have been called into
the vineyard at the eleventh hour, that is, in the era of Christ, in the era of the new dispensation.
God has given us a sublime calling. Since He also gives us strength and directs our labors, we
can hardly refuse to labor zealously.
When we make our offering in the Mass today, we do so in the spirit of the willing laborers in
the vineyard of the Lord. As the paten is raised by the priest, we offer with the spotless wafer
our determination to struggle against the weakness of the flesh, the allurements of the world,
and sin. We unite to this offering all the trials and sufferings that the days may bring us, and
beg the grace of sustaining them in the spirit of St. Lawrence and in union with the suffering
of our Redeemer.
Thus we begin Mass by renewing our belief that this sacrifice is truly a renewal of the offering
on Calvary, and we declare ourselves ready to follow Him to death. The consummation
of this sacrifice will not be death, but life; we look forward, not to Good Friday, but to Easter
Sunday; not to the darkness of the grave, but to the brilliance of the resurrection; we are interested,
not in the struggle, but in the victory. Christ now offers Himself, not as the suffering
Redeemer, but as the living, glorified conqueror of death and sin. Through the Holy Sacrifice
of the Mass, He makes us partakers of this resurrection and glorification. We share also in His
love of the Father, His sanctity, His perfect prayer, His union with God; and thus we become
most pleasing to His heavenly Father. Although He is now risen and glorified, He descends
to give Himself to us in Holy Communion, and shares His glorified life with us. We are now
enlightened by the glory that is His, and we begin to share His glorified life. A soul thus favored
is, in a sense, already adorned with the crown of victory, and has placed in its hands already in
this world the penny that is the reward for faithful service in the vineyard of the Master. The
favors enjoyed by such a soul are an earnest of the crown of victory that is to be its reward in
heaven. Through its sufferings it will conquer.
Meditation
Easter, the day of victory, the day of resurrection and redemption, is already beginning. We
gather at the stational church of the martyr St. Lawrence, who was tortured on the gridiron. We
feel that we are united to him, and this union gives us strength for the struggle. Victory may be
gained only through strife. At Easter we shall renew that spirit of our baptism and rise to a new
life. But the road to Easter leads over Golgotha.
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