This weekend was so special! It marked the conclusion of the holiest week of the liturgical calendar and kicked off the greatest celebration of the history of humanity!Yes, it was time to finally stop the fasting of Lent and instead feast on Easter! By His dying and resurrection, Christ redeemed us from our sins and saved us from death!
To prepare for the transition from deep sadness to incredible joy, I watched The Passion of the Christ on Thursday night. (It's one of only two movies that I own. The other is Save the Last Dance.) I haven't watched The Passion since probably 2005, but this waiting was purposeful; I didn't want to watch it every Lent, lest I become desensitized to it. And although I normally avoid violent movies, this violence is the only violence that was truly meaningful and redemptive, and for that, it is absolutely worth watching. And so I went to bed that night with swollen eyes and almost no tissues left in the box.
On Friday afternoon, Mike arrived from Ohio, and that night we went to Stations of the Cross at Our Mother of Perpetual Help Church. Then we went to Club Worship, but since the crowds hadn't yet amassed, we drove around the city in circles until we stumbled upon the Ugly Oyster, where we ate a delicious dinner. We then caught the tail end of the Club Worship party, with just enough time for me to catch up with Janel and for Thomas to impress us with his breakdancing moves before we would leave in the hopes of meeting up with Andy, who would be getting out of work in the wee hours of the morning (and who had generously agreed to host Mike).
On Saturday, I got to see all of the extended family on my mother's side, and it was such a joy for us all to be together again in my Aunt Maryann's house. All of my cousins were present with their spouses and children; and, in particular, I was excited to see my cousin Steve and his wife Jessica who had brought their kids with them down from Maine! The food was abundant and tasted incredible! I gave flowers to my mother, aunts, and grandmother, and I gave chocolate Easter bunnies to the children. :-)
But soon it was time to jump back in the car and meet Brooke at St. Richard's, for that night--during the beautiful Easter Vigil Mass--she would enter the Catholic Church under the patronage of St. Helen, and I was to be her sponsor! I had forgotten how long an Easter Vigil is, but the choir music was incredible and the seven readings and the Gospel reading were all worth it! After Mass, we feasted on cake and she opened all the gifts I had found for her!On Easter Sunday, we went out for a delicious brunch at Willow Valley. Each of us just happened to have a touch of yellow in our attire, and this brightened my day even more!
Thank you, Jesus, for a wonderful weekend!
