Easter Sunday
We are witnesses
of… (Acts 10:39)
On vacation last night, I
found myself in the midst of an Assembly I didn’t know at the Easter
Vigil. The fire, the growing candle
light, the reading of our sacred story, the water, the white, the singing, the
prayers…it is high drama! There was one
catechumen, a young lady affirming her nascent faith.
And alongside her, once
again, I ask myself “Do I believe?” And
if I do then the line from Acts (from this morning’s liturgy) grabs my
attention. What does living a life of
witness to the Resurrection look like?
In an article by James
Martin S.J. published Friday in the Wall Street Journal, Fr. Martin says that
such Resurrection faith makes a real claim on the life of a believer. “The
Resurrection says, ‘Listen.’” Turning
that listening into witnessing…the work and prayer of a lifetime!
From the Article:
What difference does Easter make in the life of the Christian?
The message of Easter is, all at once, easy to understand, radical, subversive
and life-changing. Easter means that nothing is impossible with God. Moreover,
that life triumphs over death. Love triumphs over hatred. Hope triumphs over
despair. And that suffering is not the last word.
Easter says, above all, that Jesus Christ is Lord. That is an
odd thing to read in a secular newspaper. But I’m merely stating a central
Christian belief. And if he is Lord, and if you’re a Christian, then what he
says has a claim on you. His teachings are invitations, to be sure, but they
are also commands: Love your neighbors. Forgive. Care for the poor and the
marginalized. Live a simple life. Put the needs of others before your own.
Jesus’ message still has the power to make us feel
uncomfortable, as it did in first-century Palestine. It was just as much of a
challenge to pray for your enemies in antiquity. It was no easier to hear
Jesus’ judgment against the excesses of the wealthy during a time of degrading
poverty for so many. It was just as subversive a message to be asked to pray
for your persecutors as it is now.
Click
here for the whole of Fr. Martin’s article The Challenge of Easter
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