Via Lucis, which translates to the “Way of Light” in Latin, is a devotional practice in the Catholic Church that focuses on the events of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is a newer form of devotion introduced in the late 20th century to complement the traditional Stations of the Cross. The Via Lucis consists of 14 meditations on the events after the Resurrection, starting with the discovery of the empty tomb and ending with the Ascension of Jesus into heaven. Each meditation reflects on a particular event and includes a reading from Scripture, a reflection, and a prayer.
Brothers and sisters, today we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, after 40 days of preparing ourselves for the Paschal Triduum. We are called to experience in our own lives that Christ is risen. It’s not just an intellectual event or a notion that we meditate on – it has everything to do with our lives. On the contrary, Christ is risen and alive for you and for me today, and has power over every single principality, every sin, and every slavery we can find ourselves in.
Having lived through the time of purification of the Lenten Journey, we’re now called to conquer everything that still keeps us enslaved. Today’s reflection opens with a phrase from Saint John of Damascus who said, “For Christ the Lord is risen, our joy that has no end”. Our joys are short-lived and the causes that we fabricate don’t last long. We would like to make present this eternal joy in different fashions but we experience continual dissatisfaction. Something is still missing, and it’s not yet what we’re looking for, whether it’s a new gadget, new clothes, entertainment, a movie, vacation, car, or anything else. Our hearts are longing for the eternal joy – the joy that has its origin in Heaven. Our joy doesn’t have an earthly cause; it’s rooted in the Heavenly realities, in the fact that Jesus Christ is the source of all joy, as the Conqueror of sin and death.
When the Archangel Gabriel appeared to our Lady, he said, “Rejoice, full of grace”. Throughout the Gospels, we hear great joy over and over again. When Jesus Christ was met by the people, he was met with great and overwhelming joy. People were amazed and overtaken by the experience of God shining on them, present in Jesus Christ. We are meant to be partakers of this joy because as we know very well, life brings a lot of challenges and trials, and we try to find different ways of compensating for what is missing, but still, it’s not what we are looking for. Our joy has no end, as Saint John of Damascus says, because it’s rooted in Jesus Christ risen. He is the only one who can grant this joy to our hearts through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Many events are happening in our lives, and we can be looking for a reason for our joy. I always like to read this Canticle from the book of Habakkuk when we hear, “Though the yield of the olive fail and the terraces produce no nourishment, though the flocks disappear from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet will I rejoice in the Lord and exalt in my saving God.” Many things can fall and disappoint us, everything is so unstable and fragile, yet we will rejoice in the Lord. He is the cause of our joy, and we are called to cultivate and nourish this joy by saying, “You’re risen, You’re present, You’re the conqueror of sin and death. I would like to be a partaker of this divine joy You are offering me, Lord.”
