6/21/2021 Easter in the Silence of My Heart

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Pure Heart
Apr 7, 2020 3 min

Easter in the Silence of

My Heart
Updated: May 19, 2020

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6/21/2021 Easter in the Silence of My Heart

Easter Sunday has always been

associated with grand public
celebrations. In Cebu where I live, the
most popular one was Minglanilla’s
Sugat Kabanhawan. I still have a vague
memory of the first time I joined the
Sugat celebration.

The Easter Sunday I Used to Know

The night sky was the color of coal. In

front of the church, an elaborate stage
was setup where vendors used to
display food and toys. String lights
around trees gave the public plaza a
subtle festive vibe.

Actors in their angelic costumes stood

in suspended scaffoldings attached to
the front of the church. They had
harnesses tied to their garments so
they could jump gracefully from the
scaffolding to the stage below as if
descending from heaven. Then, there
was a reenactment of the meeting of
the Risen Christ and Mary. A fireworks
display followed. And as we flock back
to our homes after Mass, we greeted
each other “Happy Easter” and “The
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6/21/2021 Easter in the Silence of My Heart

Lord has risen!” with beaming smiles. A

feast of traditional Filipino food and
desserts wait at home.

But that was a long time ago. A lot has

transpired this those days. Now, it’s
different. Easter 2020 is a totally
different story.

The Mystery of God’s Interruptions

Since the news of the COVID-19

outbreak, almost everything I knew
ceased to be normal, even the
celebration of Lent and Easter. The
Filipino Lenten observance called
“Kwaresma”, which was derived from
the word “Quarantine”, becomes literal.
Now, the streets are empty. And the
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6/21/2021 Easter in the Silence of My Heart
, py
people are obliged to go home.

I love going to Mass and taking Holy

Communion. But all of a sudden, the

churches are closed. Masses are

canceled. And the excitement of having
a festive Easter Sunday celebration is
only just a thought.

Now, I can only feel the stillness,

silence, and isolation, situations that
compel me to turn my gaze inward into
my own soul. There’s anxiety and
loneliness looming in the corners of my
heart as I lurk inside my room, isolating
myself for fear of contracting, or worse,
spreading the virus.

In a sense, the virus has become a

manifestation of God’s ultimate
adversary, the devil. It is massively
destructive and without cure. And most
of all, it is invisible to the naked eye.

In the midst of all the confusion and

anxiety, I learned to see Easter in a
totally different light. Indeed, God has a
way of making us pause. He has a way
of disrupting our normal life. And he has
a way of giving us a new normal.
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6/21/2021 Easter in the Silence of My Heart

Embracing Solitude and the Way

Forward

I’ve seen how this challenging season

brought out the true colors of people.
Some people found ways to help, while
some people found ways to criticize.
While some people are safe at home,
there are also many people who are
unsafe even in the presence of their
family members. For me, this has been
a time to learn how to be fully present
for my family. I’ve learned to be with
them and accept them in all their flaws
and imperfections. In the same way,
I’ve felt their unconditional love for me.
In the light of this pandemic and the
new normal it brought, it’s easy to feel
hopeless, sad, and even depressed.
The only cure to these spiritual
diseases is to recognize the presence
of God among us.

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6/21/2021 Easter in the Silence of My Heart

Despite the challenges, one thing that is

sure is that the Lord has indeed risen
more than 2000 years ago. We know
the end of the story. We know that the
Lord has triumphed. And that’s
consolation enough to get through
these difficult times.
As a modern Catholic, it’s important to
feel the resurrection of Christ in my own
heart first. The grandiose Easter
celebrations are secondary. Although it
would help to enjoy the festive vibe of
the season with others, starting an
internal relationship with Christ is the
priority. And it comes only with a
renewal of the heart, one that’s
grounded on the hope of the Risen
Christ. Let’s take this time to renew our
relationships with Him, and wait in
patience to see the goodness of His
plan unfold.

Written by Jefanie Genilla, Pure Heart

missionary

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