We were amply rewarded with bright sunshine on Easter Sunday. Our Eastern Orthodox brothers and sisters call this first week of Easter “Bright Week,” referring to the light of Christ and His triumph over sin and death. The 8th century Council of Trullo spells out some details for how the entire Octave of Easter is in fact a single liturgical day:
“For a whole week the faithful in holy churches should continually be repeating psalms, hymns and spiritual songs, rejoicing and celebrating Christ, and attending to the reading of the Divine Scriptures and delighting in the Holy Mysteries.”
Yes, we should indeed be rejoicing this week! As we look at Level 2, Person & Relationships, we should be celebrating the fact that our beloved Jesus rose from the dead, and made the triumph of our own person and relationships possible too.
But instead, we may find that we quickly lose sight of this incredibly bright cause for joy. As far as the commercialization of Easter—the blow-out of baskets, eggs, chocolate, and bunnies—well, it’s over. And with our kids back to school and schedules ramping up fast, it’s easy to miss Bright Week.
We’re reminded of C.S. Lewis’ Screwtape Letters, in which a senior demon advises, “Indeed the safest road to Hell is the gradual one—the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts.”
In other words, something mundane but powerful is at work, deflecting our gaze away from the brightness of Christ’s resurrection. The “gentle slope, soft underfoot” cadence of our busy schedules, myriad distractions, and disordered loves all beckon us to look elsewhere.
Instead, we invite you to bask in the dazzling light of Christ’s gift to you, your spouse, and your family. Choose one of these three suggestions below, and enter more fully into the brightness of this week:
- Look at Jesus, at His brightness. “I look at him and he looks at me,” a peasant of Ars famously told St. John Vianney. “Contemplation is a gaze of faith, fixed on Jesus,” the Catechism states (2715). This week, spend time in prayer “looking at him” and allowing Jesus’ brightness to wash over you.
- Contemplate your spouse and children. In Man’s Search for Meaning, Viktor Frankl writes, “I understood how a man who has nothing left in this world still may know bliss, be it only for a brief moment, in the contemplation of his beloved…I was able to understand the meaning of the words, ‘The angels are lost in perpetual contemplation of an infinite glory.’” This week, take time to contemplate the brightness of your loved ones, made in the image of God and redeemed by Jesus.
- Keep celebrating! Have a special “Bright Thursday” or “Bright Saturday” meal or outing with your family, and set the tone by inviting them to think about the personal impact of the Resurrection—here, now, in our home, going forward. It could be as simple as taking turns sharing about one thing you are grateful for—and then connecting that gratitude back to the Resurrection.
Jesus is inviting us into the brightness of His Resurrection. He is offering His life as a gift, and invites us to do likewise—our life as a gift, poured out for our spouse and family. Christ our Hope, we praise and glorify you!
> “Why Eastern Christians Call the Days after Easter ‘Bright Week’” (Aleteia)
> “An Easter Octave Guide for Catholic Families” (National Catholic Register)
> Here is Pope Francis’ Easter vigil homily, in which he says, “Let us revive the beauty of that moment when we realized that he is alive and we made him the Lord of our lives. Let us return to Galilee, the Galilee of our first love. Let each of us return to his or her own Galilee, to the place where we first encountered him. Let us rise to new life!”
> With Divine Mercy coming up next Sunday, we invite you to revisit our “Jesus, I Trust in You” reflection. In it, we reflect back on when we were dating, and first encountered the amazing Divine Mercy devotion.
> A big shout-out to Amy Fagerli, our Marketing, Events, and Gift Shop Manager, for her vision and leadership in putting so many lovely gifts into the hands of so many Trinity House customers! This Lent, market sales at Trinity House Cafe + Market were 24% higher than last year, testament to the creative ways Amy curates an array of gifts that make the faith come alive in homes all over Northern Virginia.
> Would you be interested in seeing Trinity House Community Gatherings (aka Heaven in Your Home Gatherings) at your parish this fall? We’re nearing the official launch of our parish-based model! For $499, any parish will be able to access all the tools needed to host 5 Gatherings for families in 2023-2024, including videos, discussion questions, marketing templates, catechetical resources, ongoing support, and more. Schedule a 20-min. call to learn more! Here’s our Calendly calendar where you can choose a time.
As one couple said, “I think the biggest blessing from our Trinity House Community Gatherings has been the relationships we’ve developed…and having people to more intentionally live our faith with.”
> We’re hiring for a 20-hr/week Development Associate! Check out the position description here. Drop us a line if you’d like to chat about this possibility and learn more!
> Later this week, Soren will be representing Trinity House Community and Trinity House Cafe + Market at the SENT Summit of over 200 Catholic CEOs and ministry leaders at Catholic University of America. If you know others who are attending and think Soren should connect with them, just drop us a line! Here’s the speaker list.
“Trinity House Community is a tremendous testimony to the incredible love and mercy our God has for us, and the importance of looking to the relationship in the Trinity as an example of how to thrive together as families in faith.”
– Stewart and Donna Carroll, Leesburg, VA
