Everyday Holiness

Who are you, where are you from, and which parish do you go to?

My name is Shelby Ellis. I'm from Thibodaux, and St. Genevieve Church is my home parish.

What do you do for work?

I'm a mental health therapist in an intensive outpatient program. I work with people who have a variety of diagnoses, backgrounds, and treatment needs, and I provide group and individual psychotherapy.

What's one of your favorite things about Easter?

Ever since college, where my school would put on a 'Resurrection Party' each year, my favorite thing about Easter is celebrating the most beautiful sacrifice ever made. It's only fitting to throw a party for the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. I love that Easter is, at its foundation, about love.

What's one of your favorite Easter traditions, either from growing up or a tradition you celebrate as an adult?

I don't remember doing this as a kid, but I spent one Easter with my friends from Pennsylvania, and they play the "egg pocking" game, which I recently learned is one of our Cajun traditions as well. Everyone chooses and dyes their own boiled egg, and then you battle everyone else's egg by tapping them together to see whose is strongest. The last egg standing without a crack wins! This is definitely something I want to carry on.

Have you ever had an Easter moment that deepened your faith?

The Resurrection Parties we celebrated at Franciscan University were such a turning point for me. I always knew how important Easter was, but I had never experienced so much joy from celebrating the resurrection with other people. As I joined in with others, praising God for the miracle of Easter, I knew I was truly seeing the power of the Paschal Mystery.
6/ Easter celebrates Jesus' victory over death. How do you feel like this truth from our faith influences you personally?

Something I've learned about myself in the last couple of years is that I am very sensitive to stories about sacrifice. The slightest mention of someone giving their life for another never fails to make me tear up. Stories about veterans, parents, strangers, and even movie characters laying down their lives or putting themselves at risk for the sake of other people moves me so deeply; their actions are direct reflections of Jesus' sacrifice. These moments always remind me to turn to Jesus and remember to thank and praise Him for His crucifixion.

It also reminds me that all my troubles, all the pain in the world, and all of my own mistakes don't stand a chance against the cross.

Lenten is a season of penance, but Easter is a season of joy. How do you embrace the joy of the resurrection in a practical way?

This year I am looking forward to celebrating with my family and spending time in prayer with Jesus to show my gratitude. For me, gratitude helps me find joy in a practical way.

Additionally, this Lent I pushed myself to show kindness and mercy, even to those whom I struggle to love the most. Pushing myself towards this goal of showing Christ-like love to all allows me to embrace that Easter joy more fully.

For someone who's new to the faith or just starting to grow in their faith, what advice would you give them about entering more deeply into the season of Easter?

This is a hard question, because I myself am always trying to enter more deeply into Lent and Easter, and am always feeling short of the mark. However, the advice I would give to myself and others is to spend more time in quiet prayer, listening to the Lord. I struggle so much with being quiet in prayer and being patient enough to listen for more than a few minutes, but I know I'll never become a good listener if I don't exercise that muscle. Surrender has also been a theme of my prayer lately, and during the Easter season, I would encourage others to surrender their worries to Jesus, and allow His love and joy to enter in instead. 

Is there a particular scripture quote that's a favorite of yours for the Easter season? Or maybe a song or passage from a book? Why?

My favorite Bible passage for Easter is the Road to Emmaus: "Were not our hearts burning within us while he spoke to us on the way and opened the scriptures to us?” (Luke 24:32). This has always jumped out at me as such a beautiful revelation for Jesus' followers. Much like the disciples, I often don't realize Jesus' hand in my life until much later when I think, ‘oh, that was Jesus working and answering my prayers!’ I also love Jesus' tenderness with Mary Magdalene in the garden in John 20:11-18. He approaches her with love and asks, "Why are you weeping?" and then reveals Himself to her. "Rabbouni!" she replies. I can imagine her overwhelming shock, joy, and tears from seeing her Lord again.

What's one simple thing people can do spiritually to get more into Easter?
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I would encourage them to use the following prayer: "Jesus Christ, I surrender myself to You – take care of everything." I believe that if we can surrender our control, laying our worries and sorrows in Jesus' hands, He will not only take care of everything, but we would finally be able to see the wonder and joy of the miracle of Easter.