April 16, 2006

    Once again we can sing out our Alleluia to God !  Alleluia!  He is Risen!  What are we saying when we sing this well known word?  Do we really know?  Judging from the lack of enthusiasm expressed in the singing, it is probably a fair assumption that we lack some important information about this word. 

    The word Alleluia is the Greek transliteration of the Hebrew phrase hallelujah.  The Hebrew phrase consisted of the word hallelu which means Praise and the shortened form of the the word Yahweh - Yah.  The Y is spelled with a j in Hebrew.  Thus, putting it together, we have Hallelujah - Praise the Lord.

    The phrase Praise the Lord is familiar to all of us who have some experience with the Charismatic tradition of the church.  Unfortunately we often have a less than positive opinion on the use of this expression.  We associate it with overly emotional, “Holy Rollers” and on our best days we think, “better them than me”.  Is it fair to God to live our faith with such an attitude?  

    When Easter rolls around we all make plans to have family dinners, Easter egg hunts for the children and Easter lilies for the Church.  We also make a special effort to come to Church.  But, how much of ourselves do we really invest in the participation of the liturgy?  How much energy do we expend in entering into the celebration?  Do we ever ask ourselves why we come to church of Easter?

    Easter is the greatest and most important feast of the liturgical year.  It tells us that we need not live in despair.  We are a people of Hope!  We are a people with a reason for living.  We have been given the opportunity for a New Beginning, a New Life!  How much more can we ask for?  Our God has loved us to the point of death, a painful, humiliating, death.  We can all associate with pain and humiliation.  Easter tells us that these latter experiences are not the end of the story.  Christ lives on and we live on.  Through our Faith in the Risen Christ we share in that promise.   This is Good News at its best. 

    Once the Easter liturgy is over we go home to live our ordinary lives and we all to soon forget the message of Easter.  Again we fall into the doom and gloom of our miseries.  We forget that God has knocked on our doors and is waiting for us to answer and welcome him in.  Like the Apostles we “lock ourselves up” in fear that others will take advantage of our vulnerabilities.  Sometimes we are like Thomas who refused to believe that Jesus has risen.  We are afraid to believe that our God has the desire to be a continual part of our lives.  We want proof, and worse, we fully believe that it is impossible for the proof to be had.   And so, the real question is, “Do we believe?”  If so, let us rejoice with our entire beings for today is the day that God has made.  Let us tells our voices that we believe enough to express our Faith.  Let us Sing with full Voice!