As it is still Saturday within the octave of Easter, I knew I had to get out my “annual” Easter Post.

This year was a little different as I am a now a former church musician – that is to say, my family and I were not obliged in any way to provide music for Holy Week, the Easter Vigil or even Easter Sunday.

For anyone habituated to the choir loft, it did feel a little strange. Nonetheless, even though our Traditional Latin Mass sort of vanished over the last year, we did manage to cobble together attendance at a gorgeous Thursday evening Tenebrae service (according to the “usus antiquior”) about 70 miles away and attended a Low Latin Mass on Easter Sunday.

On Good Friday, however, I managed to go downtown to help a buddy carry the cross. Yes – an actual cross that he constructed out of 4X4 wooden beams. He begins his journey from the local abortion clinic and walks through the city to his parish- then turns around and walks back. Ordinarily he is joined by a few other sturdy souls so that he doesn’t have to carry the cross the whole way. This past Friday I decided to join him with my eleven year old son since I had always found a good excuse to miss this event in the past. The whole idea does strike me as wonderfully rudimentary but if I am not mistaken I believe our Lord said somewhere, “Take up your cross and follow Me.” After telling my buddy that I though his interpretation of that injunction was a bit childish, I finally thought to myself, “Well, why not?” My hunch is that our Lord was speaking metaphorically, but if He wasn’t, then I will have at least one occasion where I could honestly say that I took up the cross! Here are two companions hefting that cross just to give you the idea!

My friends and one other managed to carry the cross for a total of six miles! I attempted. like Simon the Cyrenian, to ease their burden for what seemed like a total of 75 feet. I believe Simon helped our Lord for a great deal longer but I figure he was probably in much better shape than I am.

And so, having carried the cross for however long, I for one felt like I deserved the Easter Feast that my wife and daughter provided. Certainly the work they performed in preparing it was more difficult than my efforts deserved – but Easter is just such a time- that is, Easter is a time when we receive infinitely more than our meagre efforts merit!

Our day started off with this delicious monkey bread and coffee around the Easter Morning table. As Mass was not to be for several hours, we thought it best to start the day off with something.

Then after Mass we came home and began to prepare in earnest for brunch! First a couple of beautiful pastries- one with a chocolate filler the other with some sort of creamy filler. A great quantity of butter was employed.

Meanwhile I commandeered the Mimosa preparation.

After snapping this photo, I immediately took the pastries to a safer location. We have always had difficulty finding enough surface area.

Meanwhile the Eggs Benedict and fruit salad look splendid.

Voila!

Now, of course afterwards, it was time for a walk (and a brief nap). But Easter Sunday tends to slip by more quickly than it should. Nonetheless, we had planned a late dinner (8pm) and so as those preparations were being made, we enjoyed an Aperol Spritz with assortment of cheeses.

We decided on a Ribeye roast, asparagus and roasted potatoes.

Finally, a very chewey chocolatey cake and cigar!

Happy Easter!