“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be apparent to all. The Lord is near.” That’s St. Paul writing to the Philippians.
Make a joyful noise! It’s Easter!
“Woman, why are you weeping?” That’s what the two angels say to Mary Magdalene outside the empty tomb.
She thinks someone has stolen the body of Jesus. She turns around, and there is Jesus, except she doesn’t recognize him.
“Woman, why are you weeping?” That is Jesus, but Mary thinks he is the gardener. And Jesus says to her, “Mary.” And she knows it’s Jesus.
And she goes to the disciples and says, “I have seen the Lord!” You can bet she’s rejoicing.
It’s fitting that Mary thinks Jesus is the gardener.
Each winter, the world clouds over, and everything seems lifeless. And, then, come spring, the flowers bloom, the trees blossom, the world is awash with sun and warmth. There’s a cycle to the year of death and resurrection.
Christianity, when done right, is a countercultural faith that recognizes life is filled with pain and delight, with death and rebirth. Jesus is not only our Savior but also our model.
Christianity isn’t a faith of fear. It is a faith of openness to the world and the life that God has given us and all that that entails — growth, happiness, sorrow, decline, departures, arrivals, ugliness and wonder.
So, make a joyful noise! It’s Easter! “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again, Rejoice!”
Patrick T. Reardon
4.20.25
Written by : Patrick T. Reardon
For more than three decades Patrick T. Reardon was an urban affairs writer, a feature writer, a columnist, and an editor for the Chicago Tribune. In 2000 he was one of a team of 50 staff members who won a Pulitzer Prize for explanatory reporting. Now a freelance writer and poet, he has contributed chapters to several books and is the author of Faith Stripped to Its Essence. His website is https://patricktreardon.com/.