His Love Endures Forever

A Reflection on the Psalm for Sunday, April 20th, 2025:
The Solemnity of Easter Sunday

---

Psalm 118

R. This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad.

O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his steadfast love endures forever. Let Israel say, “His steadfast love endures forever.”

R. This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad.

“The right hand of the Lord is exalted; the right hand of the Lord does valiantly.” I shall not die, but I shall live, and recount the deeds of the Lord.

R. This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad.

The stone that the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvellous in our eyes.

R. This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad.

Pause. Pray. Reflect.

The space between Good Friday and Easter Sunday has to be the strangest time in the entire liturgical calendar. Year after year, I find myself trying to find the perfect disposition in those days. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been in a dilemma about what to eat for breakfast Easter Saturday morning. Or what to do with my time on Good Friday evening. 

I think the real question in me is, “These days feel incredibly sacred. How do I not miss out?”

And then I find myself debating whether or not it’s ok to add bacon to my breakfast like it’s going to make or break the Triduum for me.

Throughout this Lent, I’ve been thinking a lot about Mary Magdalene and how she spent those days between the Crucifixion and the Resurrection.

Could she sleep? Did she even eat?

Encountering Jesus had changed everything for her. She’d found in Him everything for which her entire being had longed. After however many years of searching and longing to be loved, she encountered Christ. He loved her with an enduring love. He called her by name and loved her for who she was. She finally found the place where she belonged. She gave everything to follow Him. Pitched her tent near His. Day after day, she listened to His words, learned to trust His faithfulness and find herself totally within His truth. 

Is that not such a beautifully familiar experience for those of us who follow Him?

And then He died in front of her. His body was buried in a tomb. The one who promised to be faithful was gone.

Did she spend those days questioning everything? Did she think Christ had abandoned her? 

I have this little vision in my mind of Mary, sitting alone in those 3 days, weeping, and saying to herself, with flickering hope and a pierced heart,  “His love endures forever… His love endures forever…” 

The scriptures tell us she was weeping at the tomb when Christ, risen from the grave, approached her. 

​His risen presence answered her questions. His promise was true. His love endures forever.

I think we can all see parts of ourselves in Mary. Her longing heart. Her desire to follow Him and pitch her tent near His. Her piercing sorrow when she no longer felt or saw Christ. Her questioning. Her hoping… 

Where do we find ourselves this week? How are we arriving at the tomb Easter Sunday morning?

As we approach these holy days, may we boldly place all our hope in His enduring love. 

Let the woman overwhelmed in this season of life, say: His steadfast love endures forever.
Let the woman bursting with joy, say: His steadfast love endures forever.
Let the grieving woman, pierced with loss, say: His steadfast love endures forever.
Let the woman, clinging to hope, say: His steadfast love endures forever.
Let the questioning woman say: His steadfast love endures forever.

May each of us, wherever we find ourselves this week, say, His steadfast love endures forever. May our longing hearts be awakened this Easter by this wondrous reality that His love indeed is alive and endures forever.




Catherine Burnham

---