The Crucifix and the Empty Tomb

The Life of a Passionist during Eastertide

You may have wondered before, “What does a Passionist nun do during the Easter season?” After all, the Church is focused throughout these days on the glorious mystery of the Resurrection.  It might seem that a Congregation devoted to promoting devotion to and grateful remembrance of the Passion is irrelevant at such a time. Why think about the crucifix when we’re standing before the empty tomb?

As a matter of fact, our precious Passionist charism comes alive in a special way during Eastertide, adding to rather than subtracting from the joy of the season. We could contemplate this mysterious connection in many ways, but in this reflection we’ll focus on three main elements: the unity of the paschal mystery, the devotion to the Glorious Wounds, and the experience of the contemporary Passion.

The Unity of the Paschal Mystery

“Amen, amen I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit.” (John 12:24) 

To see the full glory of the Redemption, we need to view it as a unified whole, known as the Paschal Mystery. The Passion without the Resurrection would be a hopeless tragedy, but likewise Easter Sunday would be impossible without Good Friday. It may help to picture the Paschal Mystery as a coin with the Passion on one side and the Resurrection on the other. If you try to split the two sides from each other, the coin is destroyed and becomes worthless.

Although we as Passionists have received the special charism of dwelling on Mount Calvary, we always do so in the confident assurance that the Cross is not the end. And even as we rejoice with the Apostles and holy women over the risen Christ, we treasure in our hearts the memory of the sufferings He underwent out of love for us. In the final analysis, it all comes down to love: Jesus endured His Passion because of His infinite love for us, and He rose from the dead for the same reason. The former purified us of our sins, and the latter gave us the firm hope and assurance of the glory to come.

The Glorious Wounds

“These nails no longer pain Me, but only deepen your love for Me. I do not cry out because of these wounds, but through them I draw you into My heart.” (from a sermon by St. Peter Chrysologus)

One devotion that is particularly precious to Passionists during the Easter season is the Glorious Wounds of Christ. In fact, the Congregation celebrates a special memorial of this mystery on the Friday after Divine Mercy Sunday. Though the Savior had conquered death forever and was beyond the reach of suffering, He chose to retain the marks of His Passion in His resurrected Body. In fact, these Wounds are one of the primary proofs of the Resurrection: “Look at My hands and My feet; it is really I.” (Luke 24:39) Even in Heaven Jesus remains the “Lamb standing as though slain.” (Rev. 5:6)

The Sisters pray the Stations of the Cross on Easter Friday

So why did Christ keep His wounds after the Resurrection? On the one hand, they serve to prove that the risen Body is the same Body that was crucified. But the meaning goes far deeper than this. Our Lord wanted us to remember forever the love with which He offered His life for us. Of course, this is our charism as Passionists – remembering His utter self-gift of love and striving to return that gift. Furthermore, Jesus’ self-offering did not stop on Calvary; He “lives forever to make intercession for [us],” (Heb 7:25) eternally showing the Father these same wounds that He bore for love of us.

There is yet another beautiful level of meaning to the Glorious Wounds. Throughout the New Testament we read that Christ’s Resurrection is a promise and pledge of our own physical resurrection at the end of time, when our lowly bodies will, like His, be glorified. The fact that the risen Jesus retained His wounds shows us that our own wounds – whatever they may be – will also one day be transformed and glorified. In fact, they may just be our greatest glory at the final resurrection, because they will be a testament to God’s mercy that saved us in the midst of our weakness and brokenness!

The Contemporary Passion

“Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ on behalf of His Body, which is the Church.” (Col. 1:24)

This last point touches on one of the core aspects of the Passionist charism: the fact that the Passion of Christ is an ongoing phenomenon. Yes, Christ suffered and died once, nearly two thousand years ago, but He will continue to suffer in His Church – indeed, in all humanity – until the end of time. After the Resurrection Jesus’ earthly Body was placed beyond the reach of suffering, but by means of the very same Paschal mystery He began to gather to Himself the members of His Mystical Body. They – we – are called to “fill up what is lacking” in this mystery: our participation. And even though there are many people who are still outside the Church, Christ is not for that reason distant from them. By His Incarnation, He wed Himself to all mankind, and thus in some mysterious way He also suffers in those who are not united to His Mystical Body.

A small shrine of Our Sorrowful Mother decorated for Easter by the novitiate members

It is obvious that suffering in this world continues during the Easter season. This year, the COVID-19 pandemic is a particularly poignant example, causing some to start referring to the “Long Lent of 2020.” The Risen Christ is not looking on from a comfortable distance, pitying us but remaining aloof in His glory. No, He is really, truly present in the dying hospital patients, in the exhausted nurses and doctors, in the lonely and despairing people around the world. This is a profound mystery which we as Passionists are particularly called to recognize and proclaim. By doing so we are not disregarding the Resurrection. Quite the contrary! We are called to proclaim that all these Good Fridays of suffering humanity can also end in glorious Easter Sundays, if only we remain faithful to the Crucified and Risen Savior.

So, to return to our initial question, “what does a Passionist nun do during the Easter season?” She rejoices in the fullness of the Paschal Mystery, exulting in the fact that the same God Who died to save us also rose from the dead to draw us into glory. She adores the Glorious Wounds of her Savior, returning love for love and hoping firmly that her own wounds will one day be glorified. Finally, she continues to stand beneath the crosses of the “Crucified of today,” offering them hope that they, too, can rise on the third day. Thus, far from being irrelevant during Easter, the Passionist charism can help draw us – and all of you! – deeper into the grace of this holy season.

May the Passion of Jesus Christ be ever in our hearts!