Easter Mass is a timeless tradition that dates back almost to the death of Christ. It celebrates the resurrection and offers hope and glory to millions of Catholics around the world. As universal and respected as Easter Mass is, it is also a very personal journey—a journey that only an individual can take alone, while not being alone.
Easter Mass represents both the symbolic traditions that people have come to accept as fact and serves as an emotional and spiritual awakening. However, it is impossible to have an awakening without at least a question. How can one awaken if they were never “asleep,” so to speak, or off-center about their spiritual beliefs?
The Spiritual Journey and Awakening
When experiencing Easter or Easter Mass in the face of tragedy, or in the wake of a loved one’s death, it can be a stirring time when the soul asks questions about its relevance to the process and the Spirit’s true indignation toward it. Few people readily admit when they are experiencing a time of spiritual crisis or religious questioning. Unfortunately, this is often the case, even though almost all of us go through it, regardless of our denomination or lack thereof.
A spiritual crisis can either lead a person back to Easter Mass or away from it. What is important is that the spiritual journey never concludes. Just like with every other aspect of our lives, the instant we stop learning and growing is the instant we stop truly experiencing life.
As children, we are taught many versions of a basic truth: Good things happen to bad people, and bad things happen to good people. It simply is, and we are not truly in control of such things, which is why we have faith in a higher power. Our faith can be so strong, and yet seem so fragile. Even as adults, when our crisis of spirit and our crisis of life seem overwhelmingly unfair, can Easter Mass really bring us to spiritual enlightenment?
Well, yes, it can, and no, it can’t. Spiritual enlightenment is not a single, mind-blowing flash of light that changes our perceptions forever, after which we can close the book because we now know everything there is to know. Spiritual enlightenment is a perpetual journey that guides us both closer to and farther from God. Much like how we distance ourselves from our parents during adolescence to form our own identity, we must struggle with our beliefs to truly call them our own. In most cases, we inherit our beliefs from our parents, and it is often much later in life that we truly question the basis of those beliefs. What does this have to do with Easter Mass? Everything.
Easter Mass has always been—and always will be—considered one of the most spiritual events known to humanity. Even non-Catholics can sense an energy from Easter Mass, an energy that can only be described as spiritual in nature. It is always a little more likely to experience moments of spiritual growth during the most intense spiritual traditions, though they can also happen while taking a shower or brushing your teeth. Still, the stage is more or less set for awakenings of spiritual proportions on Easter Sunday.
The choir is just a little more in tune, the lighting of the candles takes a moment longer with a little more thought, people who typically show up in jeans dress in their actual Sunday best, and, of course, the sermon is ignited with papal flair. Whether you are wandering back from a spiritual journey that sparked a thirst for greater knowledge or are conflicted with questions that reflect the very essence of who and what we are, spiritual knowledge can be gained by simply opening yourself to the possibilities right in front of you. Be kind to yourself, recognize your spirit’s desires, and allow it to be guided. Perhaps this upcoming Easter Mass will provide you with the right motivation to hear the answers you seek.
