Putting Easter in Context

St. Margaret Church Pastor Monsignor John O'Keefe laughed at the idea of speaking on the topic of Easter, mostly because it is so broad.

He said that there is more to it than simply celebrating the resurrection this Sunday.

"When you belong to the Christian faith, it's the same for everyone," O'Keefe said. "Light overcame darkness. Despair gives way to hope. Sorrow gives way to joy. It is the eternal quest that people have to seek better things in their lives and to have something to believe in and hope in and pray for.

"What you've got is crucifixion followed by resurrection. Good Friday followed by Easter. Neither makes sense without the other. If it was just Jesus died for our sins, that doesn't do it. What you need is the hope that came form the resurrection. No matter what goes on in one's life. No matter what things occur that seem very, very painful and difficult and challenging, there is always something to believe in. For us, it is the Lord Jesus. He proved he is worthy of our love and hope because he rose from the dead."

That time also means rapid transformations for the church.

"We are celebrating the most important events in the life of the savior," O'Keefe said. "For a priest, the challenge is three days in a row that have different themes. For the Last Supper Thursday, it is a very important feast day. It gave us two sacraments, the Holy Communion and the indoctrination of priests.  It is a joyful feast. The interesting thing is by midnight, anything happy and joyful in the church has to be removed."

He described the atmosphere for Good Friday as "stark." For St. Margaret, the day includes St. Margaret Students holding a Good Friday procession that begins at noon at the gazebo on the Central Avenue Field in Pearl River. Back at the school, the teenage students will reenact the Passion of Christ.

For more on this week's activities at St. Margaret, click here. To see children in the Pre-K4 program at the St. Margaret School getting read for Easter, see the pictures attached to this report.

"At the end of Good Friday, we work our tail off to redecorate the church in the day so it is glorious for Easter Sunday," O'Keefe said. "You can see the changing of the moods."