April 12, 2009
Easter Sunday
Acts of the Apostles 10:34 -43 Colossians 3:1-4 John 20:1-9
In big and small ways, Easter moments have been occurring throughout history. When somebody’s husband returned unharmed after fighting the British in 1779…that was an Easter moment. When a family’s son or daughter returned with arms and limbs intact from Europe or Korea or Vietnam or Iraq or Afghanistan…that was an Easter moment. When families got off the boat from the Irish potato famine or the killing fields of the Me Kong delta, that was an Easter moment. When the first son or daughter ever to receive a college degree crossed the stage, that was an Easter moment. When your first child or grandchild was born, those were Easter moments. When the emergency surgery was successful and the doctor said all would be well….that was an Easter moment. When the personnel coordinator called and said they would like to make an offer….that was an Easter moment. What might some ‘Easter’ experiences look like in 2009? How about if the market rebounded and climbed beyond 12,000? How about the announcement of a cure for 85% of known cancers? Cold fusion would be nice….unlimited energy…cool! The possibilities for Easter moments are limitless.
Side by side with the traumas afflicting our society and culture, Easter moments have been occurring…and are continually imagined in hopeful longing. What defines an ‘Easter moment’? It is the ability to take a deep breath, to look up and get ones’ bearings. It is allowing the sun to shine on our faces and feel its warmth. It is the willingness to open the windows and let spring breezes blow throughout our homes and hearts. It is the determination to take a walk amongst the community to meet some of the neighbors and shun isolation. It is the bringing of a can of food for the food bank, the donating of a pint of blood so that others may live, the calling of 911 when people are endangered, the lighting of candles in the darkness of bigotry and ignorance. It is the ability to see the goodness of God’s creation within human hearts regardless of their legal, cultural or religious standing.
Easter moments are when we shine with the same luminosity by which God created us. Easter moments are times of inexpressible gratitude, relief, joy and generosity. Easter moments frequently occur in the midst of our darkest struggles, our most confusing nightmares. Our financial markets are still askew yet we gather with hopeful hearts this morning. Some of our family are stricken with illness yet we believe in the ultimate power of God to restore their well-being. Some amongst us are unemployed, some are agitated and anxious, some are addicted, some are broken and hurting….yet today we gather as one family.
An Easter moment is occurring right now, right here. You made it through lent… you can make it through these financial downturns. You made it through Good Friday, you can make it through the divorce or cancer or miscarriage. You made it through the waiting of Holy Saturday, you can make it through however long it takes for your Easter to occur. Maybe Easter will be as small as a deep belly-laugh at the sight of your grandchild playing with an Easter basket; perhaps it will be as simple as taking renewed pleasure in the company of friends and family. Whether it be big or small, an Easter moment is happening right here, right now. Another Easter moment will occur when you leave this Mass and go home or to friends. Another Easter moment will occur when you go to work tomorrow and the day after. Another Easter moment will occur a year from now when you realize you have survived and kept going. Easter moments are happening all around you….all you need do is open your eyes and look. Oh yes…there are still Good Friday moments happening as well….but squint your eyes and look just a little bit to the side of those Good Friday crosses…and you will see Easter.
The tomb is still empty, despair has not ruled the day. Hope is not folly, possibilities can be imagined. Lift your faces, allow the son to shine on you, for in the mystery of Easter, he who was dead, now lives…and you too are invited to emerge from your graves and tombs into the light of Easter. Enjoy your EASTER moment.
Thank you for joining with our Corpus Christi Community as we relish the arrival of Easter Sunday. With so many family and friends joining us today please take some time to introduce yourself to those around you. For our weekend to weekend family, if somebody looks new and confused, please give them a little extra love and help them out if they need assistance. On your way home, please accept a Bulletin, lots of events keep on happening in the weeks ahead, and we don’t want you to miss out on any of them. As you gather with family or friends, as you settle into a lovely Spring afternoon to enjoy an Easter moment, remember, you are loved! FKB
