A FRUITFUL 50

For some of you, this Lent has been the Lentiest Lent you have ever Lented. You gave it your all, you immersed yourself in a prayerful routine, you stuck to your sacrificial fasting (even the Sundays), your clothes inevitably smelled fishy on Fridays, and you connected with Christ’s passion in a deeper and new way. 

Some of you, like me, started out with a bang…and ended in a fizzle. You had every intention to make this Lent mean something, to dive in and walk with Jesus in His suffering, but life happened. You were licking the grease off a burger wrapper when it finally hits you… ’IT’S FRIDAY!’ You’re at a party and the temptation of the Oreo cheesecake was too much to bear, and before you know it your promising to say a rosary that night as you taste its sweet goodness. Night comes… and you’re so tired from studying or just had another marathon evening of ‘get the toddler to stay in bed’ and your head hits the pillow, the idea to pray simply escapes you. 

Or, for some of you, tragedy struck, grief reared its head your way and this Lent you abandoned all intention and were forced to sit in sorrow with your Lord, desperate for comfort, unable to pray the way you wanted or used to. Unable to make it to Stations of the Cross on Friday…unable to even get out of bed. This Lent was TRULY the definition of being in union with Jesus’s suffering, but maybe you felt the lack of His closeness. 

Lent is 40 days. We can do Lent really REALLY well. Every devout Christian I know: Sacrafice? “Sign me up!” Guilt? “I’ve got HEAPS!” Walk a barren desert? “Let me get my crocks!” We are always so intentional when it comes to Lent.

BUT… We are not a Lenten people…We are an EASTER people. 

It is no coincidence that Lent is 40 days, but Jesus gifts us an extra 10 days for Easter. We get 50 days. 50 days to be with the resurrected Jesus. 50 days to resurrect ourselves from the 40 days we have spent in contemplation, in the desert. 50 days of Celebration. Not just the one night of Agape Easter bread after the Vigil. 50 DAYS! 

I was struck Palm Sunday when my 10 year old son asked me “what was the good thief’s name?” My brain scrambled, gears shifted and I had to admit something “I don’t know.” This is a rare occasion that I am entrusting you to keep between us, because if my husband asks, I know everything, and I am always right. But I digress. I didn’t know. I happened to be sitting next to my friend Chris O’Hara (shout out to Halifax) I asked if he knew. He smiles broadly, and his reply? Because God is hilarious this way, “I actually wrote a paper on him.” …BECAUSE of COURSE HE DID. 

St. Dismas, "Jesus, remember me, when you come into your kingdom." If you want to talk about the Lentiest Lent ever Lented…there is nothing quite like literally being crucified next to Jesus. A man who we know very little about, labeled a thief, so we can assume he did not live a wholesome life. He recognized who was next to him and felt a deep, profound, sense of longing that he had the audacity to make what seems like an absurd request. At the 11th hour, his simple ask and the pure desire of his heart gave him the GREATEST gift. Not earned through perfection, not earned at all, simply given. 

"Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise."

This was the first time I have truly reflected on this. Could you imagine what it was like in heaven the moment the gates opened? The rejoicing, the angels singing, the love poured out. I can almost picture the explosion of joy as Dismas entered through the gates. This man had just narrowly missed this opportunity, but had the heart to ask. This man, now in communion with all of heaven, in God’s holy presence. Such a stark contrast to the life he lived, to the death he endured, but the reward for his faith in Jesus, for the disposition of his heart.

What was the disposition of your heart this Lent? Whether you believe this to have been a perfect or imperfect 40, if you went in with good intentions but life came along, and you changed course,God is looking at the disposition of your heart right now.

Do we have that same audacity to ask Him, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom?” And believe with the same ferver as St. Dismas that God has a place for us? If so, we should be CELEBRATING! Basking in this hope. This is the promise that will get us through even the most difficult moments.

So we get 50 days of rejoicing, 50 days of celebrating, Can we live as an Easter people. Can we make the lead-up to Pentecost just as important as the lead-up during Lent? Walk intentionally with the living God, the resurrected Jesus, hang on His every word, bask in this gift He promised and fulfilled?

So this is our challenge to you.

MAKE IT A FRUITFUL 50!

What will the next 50 days look like? How will you celebrate? What women in your life need the Easter season after having the Lentiest Lent ever Lented? Can you bring a little Paradise to them? And for those of you whose life is hard, can you take a page out of Job’s book and Praise the Lord, even in your suffering?

We wish you all a beautiful and joy-filled Easter season. 

He is Risen! Alleluia! 

RESOURCES FEATURED IN THE EASTER 2026 NEWSLETTER CAN BE FOUND HERE

Written By: Arise Board Member