EASTER - Now More Than Ever
We are an Easter people, and Easter is not a day out
of the year but a full assent to the good news of the
resurrection of Jesus Christ. We are in the "season"
of Easter, the 50 days of the church's liturgical year
that culminates in the celebration of Pentecost, this
year on May 30. Easter is not an event, but a call to
understanding ourselves and our world in relation to
our acceptance of the paschal mystery of Christ's life,
death and resurrection. At liturgy this Easter season,
we hear the Gospel of John proclaimed. The post-Resurrection
events are recounted. It begins with Mary Magdalene
who weeps alone at the empty tomb. Two angels ask her
why she is weeping. "They have taken my Lord and I don't
know where they have laid him." Mary then turns and
sees Jesus standing there, "but did not know it was
Jesus." (Jn 20:11)
John's gospel reports a series of post-Resurrection
appearances of Jesus to those closest to him. His appearance
to Mary has elements similar to all of Christ's post-resurrection
appearance, notably that he is physically present but
not recognized at first. John attempts to communicate
to us that Jesus is truly present, but somehow altered.
It is only when Jesus speaks Mary's name, that she clearly
recognizes him as "Rabbouni." It is in the profound
simplicity of human interaction and exchange that Christ
is revealed. Christ reveals himself to us, his friends
and disciples, in a way that is personal and accessible.
Then, Christ gives Mary a mission. She must go and announce
to the disciples, "I have seen the Lord." She is the
first witness to the resurrection.
Further on, Christ appears to the "seven disciples"
and, again, is not recognized fully until he prepares
breakfast for them over a charcoal fire on the shore.
(Jn 21; 9-14) He is not "spirit" but a human being,
existing in the physical world, yet, altered. He enters
rooms locked in fear and offers "peace." (Jn 20; 19)
In all these appearances Jesus offers comfort yet also
makes demands. There is the need to communicate to his
grieving followers that their work, His work, continues,
and that life means continuing to spread the Good News
and build up the Reign of God. In contemporary terms…get
on with it! Follow my teachings. Lower the nets. Do
the work. With the comfort comes the challenge. They
are always together.
This Easter Season message should resonate with all
of us in VOTF. We are an Easter people, but have we
been alert to the powerful presence of the Risen Christ
in our midst? What have we done with the "Alleluia"
of Easter? Have we allowed ourselves to be comforted?
Have we allowed the pain, discomfort and anger that
brought VOTF into existence grow into recognition of
Christ in our midst? Do we live out our assent to the
good news of the resurrection of Jesus Christ? What
Christ offers is "peace." It is out of this "peace"
that hope is born and nourished. Do we allow hope to
flourish? How powerful it would be to live and act out
of our knowledge and experience of the Risen Christ.
We do bring this faith to all our work at Voice of the
Faithful, but do we allow this faith to energize and
lead us? It is because we have individually and collectively
experienced the presence of the Risen Christ in our
movement that we have been able to move forward with
certainty and conviction. Christ at the center - it
is the only way. Christ has appeared to us and continues
to be in our midst. Will we recognize him? We are blessed
with God's faithfulness to us, but we must, in turn,
truly BE FAITHFUL to experience and make present the
power of the Risen Christ. Susan S. Troy, MDiv.
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