Where man sees but withered leaves, God sees sweet flowers growing. ~Albert Laighton

Tonight, my Grandparents and I attended Easter Vigil. Though it was remarkably long (smile), it held a radiant beauty. My favorite part was hearing the readings in the dark with only our candles for light. Candle lit times are special to me. I am not quite sure why, but they seem more touching, more heartfelt. Then, dramatically, when we heard the reading of Jesus rising, all of the lights came on and joyful music was played. It was a happy moment. Father gave a captivating homily tonight. He spoke of the love Jesus has for us and how God never gives up on us, we give up on God. He reminded us that no matter how many times we fall, no matter how deep of a hole we get ourselves into, and even if others give up on us, God never does. He made a good point--human beings give up. We give up on one another, we give up on ourselves, and we even give up on God. Often, we choose an "easy" path instead of truly listening to God speak to us. We decide that we want the bigger house, the fancier cars, and we walk away from a life that God called us to live. As Father said tonight, "out of fear and selfish desires, we walk away from God to avoid the sacrifices and challenges." Father reminded us that this is a time of choosing, of making decisions. We can choose to follow the life God wants us to lead, or we can walk away in pursuit of our own desires. We have a compassionate God who gave us free will, in hopes we would decide to choose Him. How wonderful it is to know that no matter how badly we mess up, or how many have turned there backs on us, there will always be an opened arm God, ready to embrace us when we turn back to Him. To give your life for another is the ultimate sacrifice and Jesus was willing to die for us so that we all may be saved. With his death, Jesus brought us the promise of new life, of hope, and of eternal love. What a happy time it is for all who choose to believe and the perfect time to not give up, but to embrace all of those who are struggling with choices.

Happy Easter Everyone!