April 8, 2012
Easter Sunday
Acts 10:34-43 Corinthians 5:6-8 John 20:1-9
For each, Easter will be different:
*Young children and toddlers experience Easter each time they’re hugged tightly to a loving heart heart or fall asleep on a comfortable shoulder.
*Pre-adolescents delve into Easter each time their minds creatively explore new adventures, when new friendships are formed and new possibilities are uncovered.
*Teens experience Easter when the wrenching emotions and travails of relationships give way to bonds of trusted commitment, when the future is no longer perceived in black & white but in vivid color and self-awareness opens worlds of possibilities.
*For adults, Easter occurs with each sigh of relief when the worst scenario doesn’t occur: when the test comes back negative, when we pick ourselves up after defeat/setbacks, when the new job offer arrives, when our sons and daughters come home from journeys unharmed, when friends become family, when we gracefully perceive the whisper of God at work within the world.
Today, with all its color and music, festive crowds and elaborate brunches is not meant to be the one and only day on which Easter occurs. Today is a talisman, an ancient gift newly bestowed on our anxious lives, an etching upon our souls, a permanent and touchable sign that God’s promise will come.
For some, today might indeed be Easter. For others, today might just be another day of unemployment, more hours to fear a spreading disease, more personal upheaval or broken relationships, one more day of religious rituals that don’t seem connected with personal lives.
For all its power, grace does not always transform what it touches quickly. For some, Holy Saturday may linger into Holy Months or Holy Years. The dying upon a Good Friday Cross may last far longer than six hours. The farewells of Holy Thursday may have to be repeated countless times throughout a life.
Yet, as much as the events of Holy Week acknowledge the grace of God within these human experiences, so too is the promise of Easter equally certain. Perhaps here, perhaps in the life to come, but Easter will dawn for each of us, when every tear is finally wiped away, when we will stand before our God and see him face to face.
There is still much brokenness within our world, much pain and suffering. War still claims countless lives, diseases ravage, betrayal and deceptions wound our hearts, hungers stalk so many. Yet, side by side with these darkness’, the light of the Risen Christ shines BRIGHT: cures ARE continually being discovered, wars ARE ending, people ARE being fed, NEW friendships ARE being forged, people of every gender, orientation, ethnicity and creed ARE embracing our shared humanity, men and women ARE being employed, countless billions are awakening these days to new possibilities of hope and a future more luminous than dark. Like the air filling our lungs, Easter is a part of God’s creation, surrounding us, enticing us beyond our losses and sadness.
Easter is not one day nor must it happen today. What we do today is the quiet whisper, the flitting image glimpsed from the corner of an eye, the hint of a beautiful fragrance, the feint sound of a lovely melody; Easter is real, the tomb is still empty, Jesus IS alive, and with that knowledge, ALL WILL BE WELL. Be at peace….ALL WILL BE WELL.
Thank you for sharing our Corpus Christi Catholic-Christian Community’s celebration of Easter Sunday. Our thanks is extended to all our Hospitality Ministers, Eucharistic Minister and Lectors who have helped our day be orderly and safe. To our Maintenance Ministry folks who made sure our Grand Hall was shiny and bright.. THANK YOU! To our Music Ministry whom have been singing their hearts (and lungs) out for the entire week….may the blessings back to you be as rich as the blessings you have given us! Please accept a Bulletin on your way home…and if you are new amongst us…I hope we may have enticed you to come back and be a part of our community more frequently. As you hunt for those pesky eggs and enjoy your chocolate rabbits, as the depth of the Easter mystery teases your imagination, remember…you are loved. A Happy and Blessed Easter to each of you. (And don’t forget, ALL WILL BE WELL.) FKB
