We are all in need of Resurrection this year. We are weary of quarantines, of the long journey of mystery and upheavals, of uncertainty and grief. Perhaps more than any other time collectively, we are aware of this journey of suffering and death and the meaning when all seems lost. The Easter story of hope, of dawning faith and understanding, is meant for all of us. We are each invited to run to the tomb, to encounter the living God in the garden and rejoice that all the pain and death we have witnessed can lead us back to a world where flowers bloom, and people smile, embrace and are filled with rejoicing. Our hearts are lighter, and as the psalmist says, “Joy cometh in the morning” (Psalm 30:5). The rain is different; the sun shines in longer days. Green and growing things abound and we see new life all around us.
However, we know that not all the questions are answered in those initial encounters. We still have to ponder what this new way will be. Remember the disciples in the upper room? They were huddled together, scared and uncertain. The disciples walking to Emmaus are puzzled and pondering. What is the meaning of all that has happened? We too can identify with both these groups. How do we come forth from this tomb of the pandemic with all its myriad complications? What is it we need to learn? We need to look again at the stories of this Resurrection season. Even to those closest to him, Christ was unrecognized as he returned. But then, He called Mary by name, He broke bread on the road, He invited Thomas to look closely at his wounds. He fed them breakfast on the shore.
Today, let us be aware of how the risen Christ is calling to us. May we pay attention to our inner life even as our outer world begins to open up. Where might we hear our name? Be invited to a new way of seeing? Let us not miss the risen Christ in the ways He comes to us today.
