Massaroni: Easter season offers us a time for renewal, reflection and praise

By CANDY MASSARONI
50th District State Representative

Saturday, April 8, 2023 — With our work for the 2023 Regular Session finished and Spring beginning, this is a time for renewal, reflections, and praise. While we should give our God praise and glory every single day, Easter is the time of year where our faith is affirmed because of the empty tomb.

Too often, we in America take for granted our freedoms, which includes our freedom to sin. While we should actively avoid making conscious decisions to sin, it is unfortunately too commonplace to get caught up in our sinful world. Thankfully, because of the ultimate sacrifice our Savior Jesus Christ made, we can rest assured our sins will be forgiven through his body and blood.

While the cultural and policy issues of today are of the utmost importance in maintaining a nation under God, Easter reminds us that we can never make a city of man into a city of God. Our earthly concerns may be what we stress and sometimes lose sleep over, yet in the grand scheme of life, we must remember our role as Christians is to honor and live our lives through Christ who paid the ultimate price. We are all children under God.

A bible verse which particularly stands out to me during Easter is the shortest verse in the entire bible. On Jesus’ arrival to see Lazarus, Lazarus’ sisters Mary and Martha explained to Jesus Lazarus had died four days prior. Before our Lord Christ resurrected Lazarus, John 11: 35 tells us, “Jesus wept.” With this short yet powerful verse, we are reminded that Jesus Christ, while fully God, is also fully man, and he experiences our daily suffering, turmoil, and pain. Thankfully, through our faith in him, we can rest assured we will be with him in paradise.

For those who read this, all may not be followers of Christ. This does not mean there is nothing to learn or appreciate from Easter. Easter is the ultimate symbol of God’s unconditional love for mankind, his creation, but is also a testament to the force of forgiveness. Our time on Earth is finite; our possessions, our money, and most importantly our negativity will not be brought with us to the Heavenly Kingdom. Forgiving one another is not easy and sometimes it may not even be warranted, yet because we are taught in Matthew 22:39 to “love your neighbor as thyself,” we must strive to be fishers of men.

Easter is a universal celebration as our faith is affirmed because of the empty tomb. We are not forced to believe nor to celebrate our Lord’s resurrection, rather it is an active choice our God instilled in us with our own free will. Because of this, I encourage all of you this Easter weekend to use your voice and spread the good news of John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

As always, I can be reached through the toll-free message line in Frankfort at 1-800-372-7181. Feel free to contact me via email at Candy.Massaroni@lrc.ky.gov. If you would like more information, please visit the legislature’s website at www.legislature.ky.gov.

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