Easter Blessings and a Giveaway!

Jesus is Risen!  
(This giveaway has ended.  Thank you to all those who joined.)

St. Alphosus de Ligouri, in "The Passion and the Death of Jesus Christ," commented, "St. Laurence Justinian remarks: 'We have seen Him who is wise infatuated through an excess of love.' We have beheld Him who is eternal wisdom itself, the Son of God, become a fool for us, by reason of the too great love which he bore toward us."

I celebrate God's great love and saving work for me!  Oh, what he was willing to go through for me!  

Blessed John Henry Newman, as quoted in Evangelizo,  comments:

“This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it” (Ps 118[117],24)...

This is Easter Day. Let us say this again and again to ourselves with fear and great joy. As children say to themselves, "This is the spring," or "This is the sea," trying to grasp the thought..., let us say, “This is the Day of Days, the Royal Day, the Lord's Day (Rv 1,10 Gk.). This is the Day on which Christ arose from the dead; the Day which brought us salvation”. It is a Day which has made us greater than we know...

We have had enough of weariness, and dreariness, and listlessness, and sorrow, and remorse. We have had enough of this troublesome world. We have had enough of its noise and din...But now there is stillness; and it is a stillness that speaks... such is our blessedness now. Calm and serene days have begun; and Christ is heard in them, and His “still small voice” (1Kgs 19,12), because the world speaks not. Let us only put off the world, and we put on Christ (Eph 4,22; Rm 13,14)... May that unclothing be unto us a clothing upon of things invisible and imperishable! May we grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior, season after season, year after year, till He takes us to Himself... into the kingdom of His Father and our Father, His God and our God (Jn 20,17). 

And to celebrate this "Day which has made us greater than we know..." I'm having an Easter giveaway!  Celebrate with me and let me know if you would like to have the chance to win "Easter Angel," this original  5" x 7" mixed media painting (watercolor, acrylic, colored pencil on paper).  I made it especially for you, my visitors and blog friends.  If you follow my blog through Google Friends Connect (in the sidebar) or Google+ (top of the page) or if you shared about my giveaway, let me know in separate comments and get extra entries to the giveaway.  My giveaway ends on May 19, Pentecost Sunday, which marks the end of the Easter Season this year.

A blessed Easter season, dearest visitors and blog friends!  "May we grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior, season after season, year after year, till He takes us to Himself... into the kingdom of His Father and our Father, His God and our God (Jn 20,17)."

Linking up with Paint Party Friday, Faith Filled Friday, Spiritual Sundays, Inspire Me Monday, Share the Shelter and Word Art Wednesday.