Easter is not the end of the story, it is the beginning.After the long days of Lent and the profound celebrations of Holy Week, it can be tempting to think that life has simply returned to normal. But this is not the case. The Church now invites us into fifty days of celebration, a season of rejoicing in life conquering death, good overcoming evil, and hearts filled with resurrection joy.
During these fifty days, the first disciples embarked on a journey that was something of a rollercoaster. After the horrific events of the crucifixion, they experienced the deep joy of encountering the risen Jesus, yet also the lingering fear that they might suffer as he did. Eastertide reaches its climax in the great feast of Pentecost, when, filled with the power of the Holy Spirit, the disciples embrace their mission to proclaim the Good News to the ends of the earth. That mission remains the same for the Church today.
Pope Francis reminds us:
“Every Christian is a missionary to the extent that he or she has encountered the love of God in Christ Jesus; we no longer say that we are ‘disciples’ and ‘missionaries’, but rather that we are always ‘missionary disciples’.” (Evangelii Gaudium, 120)
For many of us, the journey from becoming a believer to being missionary disciples can take longer than fifty days. It begins with honest reflection: Have we truly encountered the risen Jesus? Perhaps we have met him many times — in prayer, in the sacraments, in the people around us — but were we open to a personal, life-changing encounter? God desires closeness with each of us. He longs for us to experience his love personally and to allow the Holy Spirit to work powerfully within our lives.
The first disciples were galvanised into mission when they received the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. The Holy Spirit transforms believers into missionary disciples. The scriptural accounts we read are not merely historical records; they are living testimony to what the Holy Spirit longs to do in and through us today.
St Elena Guerra, often called the Apostle of the Holy Spirit, wrote:
“Pentecost is not over. In fact, it is continually going on in every time and in every place, because the Holy Spirit desired to give himself to all people. All who want him can always receive him; so we do not have to envy the apostles and the first believers. We only have to dispose ourselves like them to receive him well, and he will come to us as he did to them.”
Let us not allow the gifts of the Holy Spirit to lie dormant. Eastertide is an opportunity to open ourselves to all the graces the Lord wishes to give. Like the disciples, we can move from the sorrow of the tomb to the joy of the resurrection and, empowered by the Holy Spirit, step boldly into our mission.
During Eastertide, we will be sharing a series of reflections, short teachings and prayers to help us journey from the tomb to the mission. This is a joint initiative of the Adult Formation teams of the Dioceses of Middlesbrough and Leeds. We warmly invite you to engage with us, and to share your reflections through our website and social media channels.