While cultural and religious festivities might make Christmas seem like the most significant yearly celebration, the Easter Triduum holds that title for Catholics.
As the pinnacle of the liturgical year, the Triduum — comprised of Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter — offers us ample opportunity to proclaim the joy of God’s love shown through the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus. No greater cause for joy exists.
I sincerely hope that you have experienced a life-changing joy at least once. Perhaps it arrived with the birth of a child, a sustaining long-term relationship or the deep peace of sitting before the Eucharist and sensing God’s love for you.
One such moment in my life occurred when my family brought home my adopted brother just months after my younger sister had died. He was only one day old, and the joy of holding that baby in my 12-year-old arms remains nearly unmatched to this day.
When joy bursts from within us, we naturally share it. Recently, a sister in my community who is undergoing chemotherapy came to the kitchen to share her own joy: Her tumor had shrunk enough to schedule surgery. Yet, as wonderful as these human moments are, they pale beside the Resurrection. Without that, St. Paul says, our faith is in vain.
Sharing Your Easter Joy
How do we share this “bursting” joy? We start by celebrating at Easter Mass, singing “alleluia,” and bearing witness to those being baptized or received into the Church. We follow it with joyful meals with family and friends and maybe an Easter egg hunt for the kiddos. Additionally, consider sharing this joy in your digital spaces.
In a world filled with inauthentic social media posts, why not inundate those platforms with authentic Easter joy? If you fasted from social media for Lent, return with a purpose. While it takes courage to share your faith where skeptics might chime in, do not be discouraged. Your joyful post might be exactly what someone needs to kickstart or restart their own journey of faith.
Five Ways to Share the Joy
1. Celebrate liturgically first: Before posting online, spend time with your parish community. If you have never attended the Holy Thursday or Good Friday liturgies, or the Holy Saturday morning prayer, try them. These rituals make it easy to enter the spirit of the Triduum.
2. Highlight the journey: Since the Triduum is one continuous celebration, share a meaningful quote from the Scripture readings or a photo of a specific ritual. Explain to your followers why these moments inspire you.
3. Capture the symbols: (Unobtrusively) photograph or film a favorite liturgical moment. For me the lighting of the East fire and Paschal Candle provides powerful imagery. It reminds me that I am called to be the light of Christ for the world.
4. Invite dialogue: When you post, ask others to share their Easter joy. Encourage your audience to post their own quotes, photos or reflections so you can celebrate together.
5. Keep the season alive: Remember that Easter lasts for 50 days until Pentecost. Remind your audience that this joy doesn’t end on Sunday evening. Post something about Easter every week to show how Easter joy and the faith that comes from such joy, carries into everyday life.
Regardless of how you communicate your Easter joy, cherish the knowledge that the greatest joy comes from allowing the risen Lord to delight in you.
Sister Hosea Rupprecht, a Daughter of St. Paul, is the associate director of the Pauline Center for Media Studies.
