The Powerful Message of Easter!

By Carlopaulo Granados (15 yr old)

"For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins

according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures."1 Corinthians 15:3-4  

It’s that time again, the season defined by eternal love, steadfast hope, and a divine calling. We have one purpose in our lives: to accept unity with our Creator by loving. Simply loving. That is exactly what Lent and Easter are about. He showed us what love truly is, sacrifice. Because He loved us so much, He sent His only Son to reveal the meaning of love and to unite us with Him. Love isn’t just a feeling; yes, love gives us a tender reward, but it goes far deeper than an emotion.

God showed us the greatest act: Love.

God loves you so deeply that even if you were the only soul in the universe who believed in Him, He would walk the earth again just for you. Every fall and every sacrifice were done for you. We spend our entire lives meditating on this truth, recognizing that He chose to show us what love is, even though He never had to. Yet chose to show us what love is. Because if we understand love, we can truly answer the greatest calling we have in life: to love.

This realization should move us to tears. Despite His great sacrifice, we choose sin over grace. Our hesitation to embrace unity with Him leads to heartbreaking consequences when hearts turn away. Yet Jesus reminds us: we should not weep for Him but rather weep for ourselves, for our children, for the lost potential of lives that may never fully experience God’s love simply because we chose not to love.

This truth brings me deep disturbance and sorrow. Hell is horrible, evil, and infinitely terrifying. But why does our Lord allow people to go to hell? Hell is not simply punishment for breaking commandments or succumbing to sin, it is the ultimate isolation from love, the condition of not belonging because one does not embody the very essence needed for unity with God. We are not shunned because we’re unworthy by nature; we are separated when we turn away from the love that calls us to Him.

Some assume that only hardship can lead to deep love, but the truth is universal. Every person, rich or poor, young or old, renowned or unknown, faces trials. And yet, the call to follow Christ is ever-present. Following Him is difficult, yes, but it's also challenging to not follow Him and to refuse the path of love. This is where God’s mercy intervenes: He never ceases to love us. True love is relentless, it is about loving our enemies, our neighbors, our family, and our friends unconditionally, without ever giving up.

1 John 4:9-10 proclaims:  

"In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent His only Son into the world so that we might live through Him. In this is love—not that we have loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins."

He gave us Hope

We must link love to hope, for our very presence here is because there is hope, the hope to love and to be united with God. This is a larger part of Easter and Holy Week. Palm Sunday shows us that the King has arrived; He has made Himself known, and so we have hope in Him as our Savior. Maundy Thursday, through the institution of the Eucharist, reminds us that God gives us His Body and Blood so that we may live in Him. Jesus declared,  "Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day," This highlights the essential path to eternal life, offering radiant hope for all of us.

He also instituted the priesthood, another beacon of hope. God sends priests to guide us toward our ultimate goal, heaven. Though they are human and may err, they are empowered by God's special grace. We must not take them for granted. Their calling is hard work and true ministry: they are our mentors, pastors, protectors, preachers, fathers, teachers, and confessors, which gives us even more hope. Jesus forgives our sins. Jesus forgives our sins.

In Hebrews 4:16 we are encouraged:  

"Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need."

JESUS I TRUST IN YOU

That everlasting divine flow of mercy calls on us to choose forgiveness and accept that mercy, that is why we have the powerful sacrament of confession. We also see this in how Jesus forgave the good thief right before he died and promised him Paradise, because He has divine mercy. That same week, all of these graces and gifts were given to us! Let us acknowledge that He not only endured the unbearable death on the cross that Friday but also granted us these blessings to help us love Him, to be love, and to be united with Him.

And how do we accept His love, His mercy, His unity? By answering His CALL. This is the final and most important step because it unites love and hope. We now have the hope to love and the strength to answer His call, whether it’s for marriage, priesthood, religious life, or being single. We must follow His will, not our own, because it is part of His divine plan. Christians say the best way to make God laugh is by telling Him your plans. And it’s true, God laughs because He knows what’s best for us. That is why it’s important to pray, to ask Him to guide us in following His will correctly. To answer His call, we must pray and discern what He desires. Just like a parent wouldn’t give a child something harmful even if it asks, but would guide them toward what is good, God leads us, not always giving us what we want, but always providing what we truly need

“Prayer is nothing else than being on terms of friendship with God.”  

—Saint Teresa of Avila

In conclusion, we must LOVE because there is HOPE, and hope is our CALLING. We must reflect on what God has done for us, understand what love truly is, and remember that God is LOVE. In order to be with Him, we must love to be loved. If we choose not to love, we cannot belong with Him, not because He doesn’t want us, but because we have chosen not to love. Yet it is not hopeless, for as we witnessed during Holy Week, He not only died but also rose again to give us life. We must accept our CALL and our unity with Him.

So let this season of Lent and Easter uplift us, to remember His boundless love, to carry hope in our hearts, and to strive for unity with our Creator by answering His CALL. In His ultimate demonstration of love, we are reminded that the most significant act in life is to love, and through love, to become what He is made of.

God bless you all, dear brothers and sisters in Christ. May you have a Joyous Eastertide, for we must be joyful that He lives and reigns within us forever!