Being the Resurrection: An Easter Reflection

Just imagine.

They thought the world had ended. Everything they believed had fallen apart. The man they trusted, the man they followed, leaving their families and work behind, had died, and it was not a dignified or gentle death. They were unable to comfort him as he left. They mourned. They were afraid, hiding behind closed doors, unsure if they would be next. People gossiped. A poor man, a good man, had died, and the powers that be were ok with that. The world was dark. There were earthquakes.

This was not the plan.

And then, Sunday morning. Just imagine. A garden, blooming with flowers, shining and green, and a woman, alone, grieving, walking in that bright place, perhaps thinking how strange it was to see such beauty and feel such sadness, to be surrounded by life and growth when Jesus was dead. continue reading.

Waiting on Resurrection: A Palm Sunday Meditation

For the last few weeks, as so many of us were isolated in dorm rooms and apartments, unable to see people face to face, or hug each other, opening our windows for sunlight, checking our temperatures twice a day, praying together through closed doors in this unexpectedly austere Lenten seasona friend and fellow seminarian began to create a space – online – for prayer and meditation. Every weekday afternoonhe sets on a sunny table next to a window a couple icons, incense and recorded music – beautiful, ancient chant – and turns on Facebook Live. For half an hour, we can open our laptops or our phones and sit and watch the sunlight, study the faces of Mary and Jesus, listen to music and, for a little while, be at peace, despite our anxiety and uncertainty as this pandemic spreads around us in the world outside. 

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