Control

Happy Easter! Alleluia, Jesus Christ has risen! Alleluia!

     “…the doors were locked, where the disciples were, for fear of the Jewish authorities…” (John 20:19). “Fear” continues to rule the disciples. They had not yet encountered the Risen Lord. They thought that they were such a threat to the Jewish and Roman authorities that they were next to be arrested and killed. But, the authorities knew that if they killed this Jesus, the “King of the Jews,” that his followers would lose enthusiasm because of fear. For Roman rulers, fear was a key tool of control. Does fear remain a controlling factor in your life? Why? Of what or of whom are you afraid?

     One of Jesus’s deep desires was to free the disciples of their fears. When he appears to the women after his Resurrection, and then to the disciples in the house where the doors were locked, he says, “fear not,” and “peace be with you!” Jesus the Christ wants them to remove the chains of fear so that they can live and share the message he gave them. That message is that God forgives and loves us through all experiences: through tragedy, trauma, depression, suffering and pain.

     The Risen Christ is evidence that no earthly power can destroy us. No experience of loss, shame, abuse or violence will defeat us. No criminal, thief, abuser, rogue police officer, uncompassionate judge, or uncaring immigration official will overcome the power of God’s promises through Christ – life is in God’s hands, justice is God’s to give, eternity is in God’s control!

     I know people who live in fear of being detained by police or by immigration authorities. Even as these mothers and fathers, husbands and wives and children are trying to obey every other law, the law that says you cannot cross certain boundaries without permission has enslaved them to living in the shadows and in fear.

     Others whom I know live in fear of violence. They hear gunshots and threatening shouts in the streets. They hear car motors racing and tires screeching and sirens blaring. Their fear consumes them.

     I know children who live in fear of older teenagers and adults who threaten them, scream at them, bully them, and abuse them. These fears are real. And you and I must do something to relieve them of these fears.

     We are followers of the Risen Christ. We have received the message: “Fear not! Peace be with you!” We are to pray and make every effort to share the Good News and take courage that our struggle for justice and peace, even as many others shrink in fear, is the right cause. It is the cause of Jesus the Christ, our Lord and Savior.

Happy Easter! Alleluia, Jesus Christ has risen! Alleluia!  

Peace, Fr. Andy