|
From the Pastor&
Happy Easter! A pastor once shared a marvelous way that God's people can respond to the great Easter message:
He came singing love
He lives singing love
He died singing love
He rose in silence.
If the song is to continue,
we must do the singing.
The resurrection awaits your response! It is about hope and new life. But there are times in our lives when we don't feel like singing. Even the close friends of Jesus didn't feel like singing after Good Friday. How do we believe and sing when there is no music or joy in our soul? How do you sing when you see a child or grandchild in pain? Many parishioners are struggling and striving hard to believe in the joy of the Resurrection, in the promise of new life.
Some are living with sickness, disease, and bodily pains for which the field of medicine has no known cure, they just treat the symptoms.
There are young couples wanting to have children, but so far they rock an empty cradle.
There are married people struggling to keep a special relationship together and their home happy.
There are people struggling with addictions and moral issues.
There are people who are just keeping their heads above water financially.
There are seniors who are trying to stay in their own homes and make ends meet.
There are people struggling with failure, disappointment, road blocks, detours, dead-end streets. No matter where they turn, it seems to be the wrong way and a poor choice.
How can you believe and sing when there is no music or joy in your soul? There wasn't a lot of joy or music on that first Good Friday. Is seemed like evil won against Jesus. But then there was Easter -- it declares that God always has the last word, not evil!
Easter is not a one-in-a-lifetime event that happened some 2000 years ago. Easter is happening in the lives of believers everyday. Easter assures us that we can live as victors rather than victims. As we read the gospel story, is seemed that the hopes and dreams of the friends of Jesus were smashed on Good Friday. They were living as victims -- when God had achieved for them the victory. It is tragic for Christian believers to fight the Good Friday battle and always remain a victim when we, too, could claim the resurrection power of Christ and be a victor.
Yes, it is a leap of faith to believe that Christ is victorious and calls us to share in the victory when our world and our lives can look anything but victorious.
Easter reminds us that our faith in Christ is not just about hoping to get into heaven, but our faith in Christ is for our daily lives! We believe that the Risen Christ is always with us. We live life -- we live life with the Risen Christ -- we live fuller lives because of the Risen Christ. Only people of faith can believe this.
The next time your soul is empty, remember God has the last word: that's the message of Easter. Don't give up. Great things can happen in a day!
-- Fr. Bill
|
|
