Experience the Resurrection
Happy Easter! I pray that you experience the Resurrection of
Christ, not as something outside of you, but something that is a
part of your life, something that you know and treasure.
What is this resurrection to NEW LIFE like? What does new life feel like? What does it look like? What does it sound like?
In my experience, in my own life and as I observe the lives of others, Resurrection Life and Energy is joyous. But, the joy we feel does not require us to scream and shout and jump up and down (though it might). The joy of new life may be a smile that just will not go away. It may be a melody that stays in our head because we enjoy it and it fosters happiness. Maybe it is found in the taste of a traditional food which someone in the family takes extra time and care to make around the holy days. Such joy is often experienced when family and loved ones gather together and appreciate each other’s presence. The joy that a baby brings to a family is an experience of resurrection joy.
Resurrection joy comes, too, when we experience forgiveness, either as the one who forgives another, or as the one who hears the words, “I forgive you,” or, “I apologize.” Forgiveness, which leads to reconciliation and renewal of relationships, is life-giving!
Last week I wrote of the power of the act of remembering. Easter is the powerful act of remembering the inseparable events of Jesus life, death AND resurrection. Eucharist is the Sacrament in which we remember these events and their transformative outcomes. Suffering and death are stripped of their power. Only LIFE has meaning and value. We see more clearly that God is the God of life. This is the central truth about God. And so, as God’s beloved ones, we are to do nothing more in life than to share life, value life, celebrate it, protect it, and to rejoice in our own lives and in the lives of others.
Again, I wish you a HAPPY EASTER!
May the God of life, who has given you the gift of life,
be made manifest in the joy of this Easter Season!
Peace to all from Fr. Andy