By Sister Maria Iannuccillo, SSND
I can still remember the anticipation and excitement I felt as a child as Easter approached.
My mother took my sister and me shopping. I wasn’t a big shopper, but I loved getting a new Easter outfit. I even had a hat, and sometimes gloves to wear with it.
It was still Lent, though, so the new outfit had to stay in the closet.
On Good Friday, we spent the day with my grandmother and cousins. As noon approached, we were called in from playing outside to play ‘quietly’ until 3:00 pm. It took me years to understand why, and to understand why Good Friday was good.
In addition to these preparations, my mother and aunts and grandmothers spent hours preparing special food for Easter. Some of the dishes they prepared were only made for Easter.
These memories are happy ones, and they are so clear in my mind and heart. I share them because they remind me of preparing for Easter.
Lent invites us to this preparation. Traditionally, it is a time of sacrifice ... of giving up. It's also a time of looking ahead to what we can do to be ready for Christ’s resurrection among us and in us.
Perhaps that means spending time with a loved one, cooking and making a special recipe.
Perhaps it means taking more time for prayer and quiet.
Perhaps it means finding not necessarily a new dress or hat, but a new way to approach things, or look at situations around us.
Perhaps it means visiting someone in need.
Whatever it is for you and for me, let’s allow it to be a time of preparation and a time of anticipation so we are ready for Easter.
May we truly be ready to celebrate Christ’s resurrection, and to recognize him as he accompanies us along the way.
