A baby swallowed a toonie. The doctor said to watch him closely. When the doctor called to check on the infant, the mother said, "No change."
Another Easter has passed and we have to ask ourselves if we experienced a change. It is not too late. We have fifty days for the Spirit to effect some transformation, alteration, conversion or some modification.
I was chatting with a friend recently who lost his mother in the past year. This Easter is more somber to him, and he said, "No one has ever come back from the dead to tell us about what is there." I corrected him by suggesting that one did come back to us.
One of my "best" Easter inspirations came during the Holy Saturday Eucharistic celebration. The priest said, "Therefore, overcome with paschal joy, every land, every people exhalts in your praise and even the heavenly powers, with the angelic hosts, sing together the unending hymn of your glory, as we acclaim:
Holy, Holy, Holy
Lord God of hosts.
Heaven and earth are
full of your glory.
Hossana in the highest.
Blessed is he who comes
in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.
And the thought struck me, "I will be singing this with my dad again some day," along with my Uncle, the organist; and another uncle, the choir director.
If they could learn a latin Mass in four voices for my brother's ordination, they will know this new "Holy, Holy, Holy" we learned in the last year.
Yes, we will be together with our loved ones again, singing praise to God who gave us the gift of His Son Jesus. So I was choked up a bit and missed a few bars in the song.
But what a gift? Jesus went where no man has gone before. He faced all the powers of evil who seemed to triumph over him. He cried out, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
And difficult as it was, God let him suffer for us, to deliver us from evil. And then God raised him as he will raise us one day.
It will be a challenge when we face death through the pain and suffering, but we won't be doing it alone. Jesus will be with us to take us through in faith. What a wonderful gift!
The proof of the Resurrection is in the scripture readings we will enjoy for the next fifty days. Jesus ate and drank with the disciples, in his risen body (Acts 10:37).
Pope Benedict XVI said, The Resurrection of Christ is our hope! This the Church proclaims today with joy. She announces the hope that is now firm and invincible.
Jesus invites us to walk with him now. We do not have to wait. Heaven starts here, as we love each other. Oh what a gift! With Jesus in us we can transform suffering and hardship into new life. He came to bring us new life!
