Easter means that what is ugliest in our lives is made not only beautiful, but glorious.

Just as an old car is most thoroughly restored when its body is removed from its frame, something like that happens when we die: our body and soul are separated until the resurrection of the dead.

Somehow it seems easier to lean into the penance and sacrifice of Lent than the extended exultation of Easter. Maybe a day or two—or even a week—of rejoicing seems manageable. But 50 days? How will we ever be able sustain it?

As Christians, we are called to be a sign of the resurrected Christ to the world. Let’s stop for a moment and consider how we can find hope — even in life’s hard times.

Express gratitude for the blessing that this, the greatest feast in the church calendar, truly is.

Most people don’t think in terms of Easter spirit. Yet the Easter season is a time that is filled with a spirit of joy and hope.

Prayer is so powerful. Telling someone you are praying for them—and following through—can be an extraordinary gift.

The crucifixion was a progressive event in time, not one static snapshot, so it would be reasonable for an artist to choose to portray any number of given points of this part of Jesus’ passion.

When it comes to Jesus and the resurrection, the world offers a host of opinions, most of which dismiss and deny the possibility that “this man” was “raised on the third day” by God. But, as St. John Henry Newman pointed out, “No one is a martyr for a conclusion, no one is a martyr for an opinion; it is faith that makes martyrs.”

Kenneth Craycraft, associate professor of moral theology at Mount St. Mary’s Seminary and School of Theology in Cincinnati, Ohio, has a new book, “Citizens Yet Strangers: Living Authentically Catholic in a Divided America,” which looks at how faithful Catholics can engage in today’s polarized political climate. He recently spoke with OSV News’ Charlie Camosy about the book and the current political landscape.