Happy Easter, Judas

E-Bear and G-Bear recently made Easter cards to send to family members.  They did a great job and put so much effort into making each card special.

One card left me puzzled.  It wasn't addressed to anyone in particular, and I am not sure for whom it was intended, nor to whom it would have been appropriately sent:

G-Bear's card reads: Happy Easter, Judas

The irony of wishing Jesus' infamous betrayer a Happy Easter wasn't lost on me. :)

While I didn't think it appropriate to address the above Easter card to anyone in particular, I found it to be a rather fitting reminder for today.  Today is Divine Mercy Sunday, the second Sunday of Easter, dedicated to celebrating the unbelievable, limitless mercy of Christ, demonstrated so powerfully for us in His death on the cross.  Each of us, in our own way, has betrayed God with bad choices, unfaithfulness, and lack of faith.  Yet, Christ offers each of us His boundless mercy, again and again, when we turn to Him for forgiveness.  The merciful Good News of the "Happy Easter" greeting was meant for Judas the Betrayer just as much as it is meant for the betrayer in me.  Whereas Judas failed to turn to Christ for forgiveness and mercy, may we all choose differently, turn to Jesus in trust, and embrace the Easter miracle in our own lives.

"Dear brothers and sisters, let us not be closed to the newness that God wants to bring into our lives! Are we often weary, disheartened and sad? Do we feel weighed down by our sins? Do we think that we won’t be able to cope? Let us not close our hearts, let us not lose confidence, let us never give up: there are no situations which God cannot change, there is no sin which he cannot forgive if only we open ourselves to him."  

~Pope Francis, Easter Vigil Homily, March 31st 2013

For now, with G-Bear's kind permission, I'm keeping this card for myself!  It will serve as a good reminder.  This Easter season, may we all turn to God and accept Christ's mercy, that we might be forgiven and changed.