On that first day of the week, while it was still dark…Mary went to the tomb only to discover it empty….then she ran to Simon Peter and the other disciple. She was in a hurry to share what she had found; and by her sharing, a small community took up the search for Jesus…only to eventually discover “The Christ”…”The Risen One”.
Though we know well the Easter story, do we ever fully grasp its meaning? The stone has been rolled away…the tomb is empty for resurrected life cannot be contained! Like the first believers, we so often must continue to live even with our dashed hopes, our suffering and our misunderstanding of God’s mysterious power. Like the first believers, we come to the tomb and expect to find death, but instead we find signs of a new life that we cannot even begin to comprehend. Like the first believers, we do not realize that all of history has been broken open and is now filled with the resurrected presence of the Risen One!
And now in the midst of this pandemic we can focus on only the sickness and suffering and death, or we can also look at coming together -- the reaching out to those in need, the selflessness of first responders, nurses and doctors and hospital workers. We can look at all the people who continue to put themselves at risk so we can shop for food and gas, all the volunteers at food pantries and free food pick-up restaurants. We can see too the simple acts of kindness and care shown to neighbors and an increased attention to the homeless.
So in the midst of all the suffering and fear let us not forget that this is the day the Lord has made…let us rejoice and be glad! Like the disciples let us actively seek the risen One in our midst…in the ordinary of our daily lives…in simple acts of charity and kindness, for as surely as Christ appeared to the disciples, Christ now appears to us in our lives, even in the midst of death, sorrow and pain, Christ is present and this is what helps us carry on! Let us keep our eyes, ears and hearts open to the presence of the Risen One. Let us, like Mary, run forth to share the good news of Jesus Christ with all the world!
I pray you all, God’s most abundant Easter Blessings,
Fr. Tim
Though we know well the Easter story, do we ever fully grasp its meaning? The stone has been rolled away…the tomb is empty for resurrected life cannot be contained! Like the first believers, we so often must continue to live even with our dashed hopes, our suffering and our misunderstanding of God’s mysterious power. Like the first believers, we come to the tomb and expect to find death, but instead we find signs of a new life that we cannot even begin to comprehend. Like the first believers, we do not realize that all of history has been broken open and is now filled with the resurrected presence of the Risen One!
And now in the midst of this pandemic we can focus on only the sickness and suffering and death, or we can also look at coming together -- the reaching out to those in need, the selflessness of first responders, nurses and doctors and hospital workers. We can look at all the people who continue to put themselves at risk so we can shop for food and gas, all the volunteers at food pantries and free food pick-up restaurants. We can see too the simple acts of kindness and care shown to neighbors and an increased attention to the homeless.
So in the midst of all the suffering and fear let us not forget that this is the day the Lord has made…let us rejoice and be glad! Like the disciples let us actively seek the risen One in our midst…in the ordinary of our daily lives…in simple acts of charity and kindness, for as surely as Christ appeared to the disciples, Christ now appears to us in our lives, even in the midst of death, sorrow and pain, Christ is present and this is what helps us carry on! Let us keep our eyes, ears and hearts open to the presence of the Risen One. Let us, like Mary, run forth to share the good news of Jesus Christ with all the world!
I pray you all, God’s most abundant Easter Blessings,
Fr. Tim
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