Easter Sunday

 

Leaving the house before sunrise to make it to the seven o'clock mass, I wanted to get to the church before the crowds! Easter on Sunday gets packed and, in the past it was difficult to find a seat if you were late.  White lilies filled the church and a favorite priest would be celebrating the mass. I saw him come into the church holding his garments in one hand and his father in another. A sadness came over me at the thought they probably missed wife and mother since she was no longer with them.

The choir consisted of the pianist and three persons, yet the music sounded beautiful.  The homily, we were told, was written for nine year olds, but I found it to be one of the best homily I have ever heard. I will paraphrase what I remember:

        When I was walking near the Cathedral in Denver, I happened to see a

        tiny caterpillar walking along on its sixteen tiny legs. It walked through

        the grime, dirt, alcoholics, homeless, filth until in came to a drain spout. I

        watched it crawl into the spout. Days later I looked in the spout and saw

        where it had wrapped itself up into a cocoon. After time went by, I again looked

        and saw a butterfly trapped behind the screen. I managed to remove the

        screen and out flew a beautiful, colorful butterfly.

The analogy was when we die we are not gone, but changed into something more beautiful than when we were on earth. The screen represented a life without God, but once we returned to God by removing our sins, we would evolve into something better.

I liked how the priest gave an example of taking his father to see the this mother's tombstone and he said, "Dad, wouldn't it be nice that the tombstone could be removed and Mom would come out to greet us and we could hug her and kiss her?" Many in the church were wiping their eyes because we all would love to see those who have gone before us!

What I took away from his homily is that someday, "heaven" is a place where we will be at peace!

"A caterpillar dies so the butterfly can be born.

 And yet, the caterpillar lives in the butterfly 

and they are one. So, when I die, it will be that 

I have transformed from the caterpillar of earth

to the butterfly of the universe."

John Harricharan