Easter is much more than new clothes, bunnies and baskets of candy. On Easter we celebrate the Resurrection, the most important feast day of the Church. At Easter, we renew our faith and welcome new members into the Church. It is the climax of the Triduum (Holy Thursday, Good Friday and the Easter Vigil) and is so important that we celebrate it for seven weeks of the Church Year!

Easter is the fulfillment of the paschal mystery; the suffering, death and rising of Jesus. This mystery is not a one-time historical event. As members of the body of Christ, we live this mystery throughout our lives.

We enter the paschal mystery at baptism. The one who baptizes reminds the recipient or his or her parents that he or she is baptized into the death and resurrection of Jesus. This means that all baptized Christians share in His death and rising, not only when we physically die, but throughout our lives.

The paschal mystery assures us that the “pain and dyings” we experience during our lives ultimately lead to resurrection. It is our Christian belief that God can and does bring good out of evil and suffering. Jesus is the greatest example of this. God did not leave Jesus in His pain. God raised Him from the dead. Death had no power over Him.

Throughout our lives, we, too, are called to share in the paschal mystery. Most of the time it is only in retrospect that we see this mystery at work in us. If we reflect on certain experiences of our lives or the lives of others we can see those times when good came out of suffering.

There are many examples of this cycle of death and rising. I think back on a young student friend of mine at the University of Michigan who was hurt and nearly devastated over the unfaithfulness of her fiancé. The world rose and set on him. She didn’t know how she would ever be able to live without him. Later on, when she got a “real” job, she met and fell in love with another young man who was everything a woman could ask for in a relationship. They are now happily married. As she reflects back on her life she always says that if her first relationship had not failed she would never have met Jeff.

Other people have experienced the pain of being laid off or fired from jobs they really liked only to find one more fulfilling. I know someone who gave his heart and soul to a company for many years. He earned a lot of money for his wife and children, but never had much quality time with them. The owners sold the company and the new owners gave him his walking papers!!! He was crushed and went into a deep depression. Later he decided to go back to school, got his teaching license, and is now a very happy elementary school teacher. It was something he always wanted to do but did not go that route because of the poor pay!

I have also known people whose suffering has made them more compassionate toward others. There are also people who, as a result of the death of loved ones, have taken up causes to create a better world. One example is Candy Lightner, the mother whose daughter died because of drunk driving. She started the organization, Mothers Against Drunk Driving, which does a tremendous amount of good and has saved many lives.

The founder of my religious order, Father Basil Moreau, was misunderstood and suffered greatly at the hands of bishops and even his own community members when he was trying to establish his religious congregation of Holy Cross. From his suffering came four religious congregations whose members serve around the world! Last year, he was beatified in Le Mans, France, where Holy Cross began. Hundreds of members of the Holy Cross family were there to rejoice.

When we really reflect on life, all of us can think of situations where good came out of suffering. Even though we may not see God’s design when we are in the midst of suffering, our own or others, let us remember that God never leaves us in our pain. Like Jesus, God will raise us up.

Sister Margaret Mary Lavonis, CSC, is a writer/editorial assistant for the Sisters of the Holy Cross, Notre Dame, Indiana. She has served in many ministries, including campus, parish and health care. Previous to her present ministry, she was the vocation director for her congregation. She can be reached at mlavonis@cscsisters.org. Her congregation website is www.cscsisters.org.