THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK
Jesus is risen! He is risen indeed! This is the greeting that will echo across the world today, as it has for centuries since that first Easter Sunday morning. Today is the day that we have been moving towards since the start of Advent at the end of November, and it is the day that will guide our journey forward through the rest of the year. The Easter Season itself is fifty days, taking us to the great celebration of Pentecost. Following that, we will move into Ordinary Time – the season of learning how to live out our faith in resurrection in the midst of our daily lives.
All of which raises some important questions for us. What does resurrection mean for us today? If it is nothing more than some mysterious, magical event that happened two millennia ago, then our celebration is pretty empty. If Christ’s resurrection is just a doorway to some personal realm of bliss after we die, then it also has little to offer us now. But the New Testament argues that resurrection is not just something that happened to Jesus. It is something that has always been built into the universe and that touches every part of creation. You and I, heaven and earth, animal and plant – we are all resurrected, and we all participate in resurrection life. Resurrection is not so much an event as it is the basic, underlying principle of all life. Resurrection is not so much a past miracle as it is a present, lived reality, and a source of hope for the future – whatever it may hold, both this side of the grave and beyond. Resurrection is not just something we receive, but a moving, motivating force that turns us into life-givers carrying life into our world in whatever way we can.
This week, why not open yourself to God’s resurrection life at every moment, in every situation, and with every interaction you experience?
To download this week’s reflections in PDF format, click here.
