"There you shall see him." These words of the Easter Gospel remind us of the great ideal of the Christian; to see Christ, that is, to have certitude of His existence, of His divinity, of all He means to the soul —this forms the true joy of the spirit. And it is this joy which we, as children of Holy Mother Church, feel especially on the holy feast of Easter. She gives us certainty, because She gives us Christ —Christ whole and entire, complete, human and divine.

A Christian lives by Christ, i.e., his soul lives by Him. It is possible to live physically without Christ and thrive. A man may be healthy, wealthy and even wise, as the world goes; but to be healthy in soul, wealthy in merit, and wise as heaven goes —nothing but the life in Christ can insure us that!

Let us see how the Church enables us to live this life in Christ. In the first place, as children of the Catholic Church, our life in Christ is no mere sentiment. One day our Lord spoke of our abiding in Him and of His words abiding in us. By this manner of expression He clearly told us that our life in Him must be something practical. We must actually think as He thought, speak as He spoke, act as He acted. This is just what the Church enables us to do. If we are faithful Catholics, we do this naturally and without difficulty.

The life of the soul is the essential life of man; if he has that, then it matters not what happens to his body —he will live forever. The soul cannot obtain this life on it’s own. Without a medium, such as a ladder, it is difficult, if not impossible, to reach a height; but with such a medium it becomes easy. Christ is the necessary medium by Whom we reach the Father, and in this way our soul can live in the divine.

It is particularly in Holy Mass and Holy Communion that we can reach Christ. He left us these twofold means, which are actually closely connected, just for this purpose. The Mass joins us to the divine, because it re-enacts the sacrifice whereby we were freed from the shackles of sin and reinstated in our heavenly heritage. The Council of Trent says: Holy Communion is a complement of the Mass, in that it makes us personal participants with the priest who offers the sacrifice, and puts us into most close union with the victim on the altar. By the power of the sacred formulas, the substance of bread is totally changed into the substance of Christ’s body and the substance of wine into the substance of His blood. In this manner the celebration of the Eucharist is an image representing Christ’s sacrifice on the cross, which was accomplished in a bloody manner by the physical separation of His sacred body and blood.

If, therefore, a Catholic has so wonderful an opportunity of approaching, nay, of possessing divinity, ought he not endeavor to learn all he can of the possibilities opened up to him in this regard? Is this science only for the priests, the religious, the nuns? No. Each soul, in whatever state, is capable of rising to the heights offered by Christ. Why not gather riches, there where they can be found? The more we study Christ, the more we shall become like unto Him in all things.

Oh, the wealth of inner life which Christ brings to us, if we only make use of His presence among us! Let us strive to do so throughout the year, especially during this Easter season.