As you have probably heard, the second book in our Ten Minutes with Jesus family prayer series covers the season of Easter. It seems like everyone assumed we would have done Lent, and that makes a certain amount of sense. Having already done Advent, a preparation season, doing another one, Lent, would seem to be a natural next step.
So why not Lent, and why Easter? Simply put, Lent gets so much attention already. No one ever finds themselves wondering whether they should step up their spiritual game during Lent, or whether they’ll be able to find something to help them mark the season. There are a ton of resources out there for Lent, and it never really slips under the radar. In short, most families already have something for Lent, and we’re not out to reinvent the wheel. Lent is a big deal already.
In terms of our faith though, Easter is an even bigger deal. It’s kind of THE big deal. St. Paul even says in First Corinthians, “If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile.” And yet, do any of us celebrate fully beyond Easter Sunday? Most of us (ourselves included) celebrate for a week or two (or until the candy runs out) and then we may as well be back in Ordinary Time. That is why we wrote for Easter. Intentional practice of our faith shouldn’t stop after Lent. Just because we’re not abstaining from meat on Fridays doesn’t mean there’s nothing to be done between Sunday Masses.
It is our hope that by writing for Easter, the work done in Lent to prepare your heart for the Resurrection of Christ will bear tremendous fruit. In Lent, we prepare the soil of our hearts so that we might be ready for Christ, but what happens when he shows up? No one toils over a seed only to walk away the moment it sprouts, so don’t walk away from your Lenten work the moment the season is over. Easter is the season to joyfully dive even deeper into the faith and enter into the mystery of the Resurrection. It is our prayer that Ten Minutes with Jesus will help your family keep the good you did in Lent going, and to celebrate more fully the joy of Easter.