The Easter Surprise

The resurrected Christ appears to His disciples in unexpected places and often in disguise. And He always brings peace, hope and joy.

To the astonishment of His disciples, Jesus appeared to them on Easter Day when they were hiding in a room with locked doors. 

On that same day He appeared as a ‘stranger’ walking with the 2 disciples on the road to Emmaus. Only at supper did they recognize Him in the breaking of the bread.

Also on that day, Mary Magdalene thought Jesus was the gardener and asked him where he put the body. When Jesus called her name, she finally realized that the ‘gardener’ was Jesus.

I know that the Resurrected Christ is still among us.  It’s just that He appears in people and places where we least expect Him...bringing us peace, hope and joy.

Since Easter Sunday, how has the Risen Lord appeared to you? Have you seen Him in your spouse or your family or a friend?  How do others see the peace, hope and joy of the risen Lord in you?  Take 10 minutes to just think about these things.

                                                                Empty Tombs

One of my favorite spiritual writers is Ronald Rohlheiser.  In 2015 he puplished a wonderful little book entitled: The Passion and the Cross.  In the final chapter, he described an Easter card he received.  On the cover it simply said: Happy Easter.  But inside the card was this thought-provoking sentence: “May you leave behind you a string of empty tombs.”

I’m still wrestling with that sentence.  I think it means that just as our resurrected Lord left behind a tomb that was empty of death, so should we leave behind whatever deadens us, since we have also died and risen with Christ in our baptisms.

Think about this.  Inside of our hearts there can be little crevices filled with harsh judgments, or feelings of anger over a past hurt, or a hidden jealousy.  Maybe we still harbor a resentment or some prejudice against another person or a group of people, or a feeling of shame about something of which we have never spoken.   

If the forgiveness of the Risen Christ is truly in us, if the joy, peace and hope of the Risen Christ fills us up, then those crevices, harbours and tombs will be empty.   

Name something entombed in your heart, from which you’d like to be freed. 

                                                           Dying Practice

If we want to be good at cooking or playing sports or speaking a foreign language, we have to practice.  I think the same is true when it comes to dying. 

What does it mean to practice dying?  First of all, let me tell you what it doesn’t mean.  It doesn’t mean laying down on the couch and pretending you're in your casket!  Practicing dying is a much more positive experience.

It’s what parents often do. When my mom was pregnant with me in 1947, my dad took a second job to replace our ice-box with a refrigerator.  He did that to help us. He died to himself 3 days a week and every other weekend for many years. 

I die to myself when I bite my lip before I say something hurtful. I die to myself when I don’t insist on my own way or when I respond to someone’s call for help.  I die to myself when I do good things that are hard to do or when I swallow my pride to respond with love.

Jesus gave his life away many times before He died.  He asks us to do the same.

Last week, how did you die to yourself?  How can you give your life away during Holy Week?  It’s a great time to get some ‘dying practice’.