Church for Dummies:
Easter – Milestone of our Path to Sainthood?

Billy Chan

February 22, 2018
Easter is the most important feast day for Catholics. Yes, that is right, this is even more important than the Christmas day. It comes at the end of 40 days of prayer, fasting and almsgiving which is called lent. On Good Friday, the 39th day of lent, we commemorate the crucifixion of Jesus Christ; then three days later on Easter Sunday, we celebrate His resurrection.
No need to go through all the catechism, as you can always get this information from your priests, teachers, parents, friends, etc.
During the lenten season, the church reminds us and encourages us to increase prayers, almsgiving and fasting. I am not going to explain why the church asks us to do these. From the day that we confirmed to be Catholic, we should already have been doing these without the church asking!
Take prayer, for example. We should be praying every day. As Catholic, we should be thankful in every action we do daily. Fasting, as people who know me would realize, is the hardest thing for me to accomplish, but we can choose one day per week or more to fast. It should not be a problem. It sounds easy! But, why do most of us fail in doing so? I have no answers! Let me know what you think!!
POP QUIZ QUESTION!
As Catholics, what is our goal?
(5 seconds, 5...4...3...2...1.. beep!!!!! )
Answer: To be a saint!
True, we are all called to be saints. We should use our current lifetime to prepare for what awaits us in heaven. Jesus won the battle over death and opened up a path to eternal life for us. We want to be with Jesus after we die. Be a saint, then you are guaranteed to be in heaven.
In every lenten season, the church is here not only to remind us to do almsgiving, prayers, and fasting. It is there to tell us to do more. If we can do more, then it will be the right direction towards sainthood. Can we sacrifice more than usual? Can we be nicer than before? Can we pray more? Can we give more time to God? Can we be better? Can we be saints? These are the questions that we should examine ourselves during this lenten season.
Last but not least, remember to go confession in this season. Renew yourself in the sacrament of confession and you are set on your path to sainthood! Amen.
 
Billy Chan, a former radio host and motivational speaker, spent the past ten years working with youth in Montreal. He enjoys using humor to illustrate his relationship with God. In his blog, you will find reflections on his experience with youth ministry and his special way of working with youth today.