A Word on Evangelization

Easter Sunday, April 20, 2025

Deacon Mike Meyer

“Hallelujah, He is Risen! May we rise with Jesus!”

Without a doubt, we can—and should—love the world because everything beautiful is directly or indirectly a work of God. But given that eternity and heaven exist, our short life needs to gain its proper perspective and true meaning with this in mind.

Our life here on earth is like a test. Our purpose and destiny do not belong to this world, but to a future day in another world. If we cling more and more to the earth and all it has to offer—if we are only concerned with living in comfort down here—then our life is off track, an illusion. In that case, we cannot hope for a future life, and we already know that our present life will come to an end.

Granted, we can go with the times and be people of today. But to avoid a serious mistake, we must, first of all, be people of eternity—people who already partake in everlasting life, people who follow in the footsteps of the truly wise, the true saints. Sometimes their austere lifestyle, their mortifications, and detachment from the world may baffle us. But their reason is sound. It is all the rest that is false. Whoever loves his life will lose it, and whoever hates his life in this world will save it…

Each day passes, and evening comes. When will the day come that knows no evening? When that day comes, Lord, may we be worthy to live eternally in Your light, which never grows dim. We live the Paschal Mystery. In order for there to be  a resurrection, we must die to ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Jesus. When we live for eternity, we follow in the footsteps of Jesus, which will bring us to our final resurrection—eternity with God in heaven.

— Chiara Lubich