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When I worked as a fourth-grade teacher at a Catholic school in Monterrey, Mexico, I was talking to my class about the importance of Easter for all Christians. I was explaining that thanks to Jesus’ Death and Resurrection, we can go to Heaven one day and live with him forever.
My eight- and nine-year-old students were very interested in what I was saying and, judging by their comments and expressions, I knew that they agreed with what I was teaching. Everything was going just fine until I mentioned that Jesus’ Death and Resurrection brought salvation to the world, therefore, Easter was the most important feast for Christians.
As soon as I finished saying those words, I could see the eyes of my twenty-seven students open as wide as plates. Immediately, twenty-seven little hands went up, asking for permission to talk. It was obvious that for my young class, Christmas was the most important feast in the Church Year. Even Pope Francis admits he was fifteen years old when he heard about the importance of Easter for the first time!
I explained to my class, using language that they could understand, that “if Christ had not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is [our] faith” (1 Corinthians 15:14). We discussed that if Jesus had not been risen from the dead and if he had not fulfilled his promises, we would doubt that he really is God. Finally, I told my students that Easter is important because it is the celebration of God’s infinite love for us.
I don’t know if my students were able to grasp what I taught them that day. I asked them to keep my words in their hearts and, together as a class, we asked God to grant us the grace of experiencing the joy of his Resurrection and the hope of eternal life.
Let us pray: We thank you, Lord, for your sacrifice of love on the Cross, for your glorious Resurrection, and your infinite mercy. Help us to recognize the magnitude of your love for us so we can share it with the children under our care. Amen.
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Happy Easter
Happy Easter to you!