Rise And Heal The Earth’s Despair

Thomas Aquinas teaches that there are two resurrections: The first is waking up in this lifetime; If we do this, the second will take care of itself. (Matthew Fox)

We have finally arrived at the end of our Lenten journey for this year! I hope that it has been a fruitful time for you! I know that I have been deeply appreciative of so many of you who have been on this journey with me and together through these blog posts. I did not have as much time as I would have hoped to comment on your comments, but please know that I read them and appreciated all of your contributions. Your rich sharing and reflections nourished me along the way.

As a disclaimer (which I try to give each year), I’ll say that I have no way to explain what we witness through the Easter resurrection story. Many through the years would say, “That’s just asking me to believe too much…” All I know from the accounts that we’ve been given is that his closest followers witnessed his death and then experienced his presence after that. In Mark’s gospel (the earliest gospel written), there is only an empty tomb and an angel telling the readers that, “He has risen!” In other gospel accounts, Jesus is there with them, they touch his wound marks and he even eats with them!

What we celebrate today – even if we may not know all of the particulars – is that death is not the end of the story. Love cannot die and love cannot be held back. And Jesus, the personification of the love of God, could also not be held back by death. And because his love is no longer held back by death or by time and space as we know it, it is available to us – right here, right now. Starting again today.

In our first reading today, we hear a story from Acts 10. In this post-resurrection account, Peter and the apostles have a newfound courage that has taken over them and moves them to go into the public square. Peter summarizes it well and says that “God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power. He went about doing good and healing all those oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.”

While it is not in our reading today, per se, I think that it is always important to remember a passage from Acts 2 (a few chapters before what we hear today). Acts 2: 42-46 describes how the disciples came alive after Jesus’ death and resurrection and carried themselves in the world. It says, “They devoted themselves to…fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere heart.”

What stands out to you when you read this? What does this resurrection witness mean for our own faith lives?

To me this is an incredible description of what a resurrection life might look like:

Devotion to fellowship, breaking of bread and prayer.
Performing signs and wonders.
Holding things in common.
Selling property and possessions to give to those in need.
Cultivating glad and sincere hearts.

The second reading from 1 Corinthians then urges us as Easter people to remember that “a little yeast leavens all the dough” and encourages us to “clear out the old yeast so that we become a fresh batch of dough.”

Easter is a time to release what has kept us bound. To release what no longer serves us and others. It is a time to claim an inner freedom and courage so that we may move through the world in a way that sets others free. And as Paul reminds us, it does not take a lot of yeast to have an effect. Small, everyday acts of kindness, compassion, generosity, patience and authenticity go a long way.

As Easter people, because we have confronted the powers of death and know that they will not prevail, we’re now tuned in to larger storylines that may not be visible from our current vantage point (of struggle or difficulty). Things may look bleak, but we offer what we can and do what we can – knowing that we serve a God who is full of wild cards and surprises – a feral God who cannot be contained even by death. 

And this brings us to our gospel from John 20. Mary of Magdala goes to the tomb early on the first day of the week while it is still dark and finds it empty. Mary runs back to tell the apostles and they come to see for themselves.

Besides finding that this feral God will not be contained by a tomb, we also see that this God will not be contained by social norms. Mary, often known as the “apostle to the apostles,” is the one who is centered in this story. In a patriarchal world, it is a woman who ventures out into the dark and discovers the empty tomb! 

And just after the versus we hear in our gospel, Jesus appears to Mary and engages her. She is the only one whom Jesus chooses to engage. She is the one who then carries the message to everyone else.

Mystic and poet, Edwina Gateley, says in her poem “Tell them, Mary…”

Tell them, Mary, Jesus said,
smelling the blossomed air,
tell my people to rise with me
to heal the Earth’s despair.

This is our call on Easter morning – to rise and heal the earth’s despair. Our God is on the loose in this world and in our lives. There is no turning back.