Holy Fire

I recently heard of an astonishing religious experience that has been occurring regularly for thousands of years.  I'm still scratching my head over how I  had never before heard of this astounding occurrence but am so grateful to now be in the loop.

Each year on Holy Saturday at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, the Orthodox Patriarch enters the tomb of Christ where a mysterious fire ignites from the slab of the tomb and quickly is shared among the thousands of faithful both in and outside of the church.  The church becomes alive with fire, excitement and joy! The flame is said to be warm, not hot, for the first thirty-three minutes (one minute for each year of Christ's life on earth).  Men are shown holding the fire directly in their faces and yet their beards don't scorch.  But, after thirty-three minutes the fire becomes naturally hot like any other fire.  

But here's something even more miraculous.  The fire isn't contained in the church building alone but it's shared around the world asking only for prayers for peace in Jerusalem in return.  For the first time this year it came to America on board a Russian Airline. There is a facebook page, Come Receive the Holy Fire!, that tracks the flames arrival in each destination, whether that be a church or a private home.  Those posting share pictures and practical details such as how to safely travel with the fire and how to keep it burning in the home. The excitement of those posting the receipt of the Fire is palpable.  This is truly a grace-filled gift of faith!

While there is much speculation that this annual ancient fire is a fraud and the fire could be produced with phosphorus, I believe that anything that comes from the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, from the very place where Jesus was buried and rose from the dead, and is shared with the world, is miraculous in itself.  

When my friend, Mary Anne, and her daughter Evanka, shared facebook posts about the Holy Fire that they had received from Abouna Moses, a monk at Holy Resurrection Monastery in St. Nazainz, Wisconsin, I was enthralled and eager to learn more about it.  Mary Anne generously offered to share the flame with us so my daughter, Mary and I, took her up on that offer and drove out to her house where we very carefully transferred the fire in a lantern and in a Seven Day Our Lady of Guadalupe Candle that Mary Anne shared with us.  I knew that I would only be able to keep the fire burning for that one evening in my home and would need to snuff it out for safety before bedtime so I decided to light every candle I had in the house with the Holy Fire.  Now each time I re-light my candles I will remember that the wicks had burned with the Holy Fire and I will enjoy the graces all over again. 

Imagine!  Flames from the tomb of Christ burning in my humble home!  If that isn't a miracle I don't know what is! 

My family used this opportunity of having the Holy Fire in our home to relight our children's baptism candles and to renew our baptismal vows with this special Easter Holy Fire.  Although not all of our children could be there, we lit all of their candles and prayed for them just as we did at their baptism.  We found a beautiful handout with scripture readings, prayers and vows tucked inside each candle box and used those for our prayer.

I am so filled with excitement and joy over this grace-filled blessing from God.  What a wonderful opportunity to learn something new, to be filled with the Holy Spirit and to grow more deeply into the faith!  Alleluia!  Christ is Risen!

I highly recommend that you spend a few minutes reading about and watching a video of the Holy Fire.  You will be entranced!  It is so amazing!  Perhaps you can search out a source of the Holy Fire where you live and can bring the Flame to your own home.  You can learn more about the Holy Fire at these links:

http://www.holyfire.org/eng/

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/photos-of-the-holy-fire-at-church-of-the-holy-sepulchre-in-jerusalem/2017/04/15/9a9a97e2-2204-11e7-a0a7-8b2a45e3dc84_gallery.html?utm_term=.cb5750adba83

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VebCJM_72Pg

Here's the prayer format that we used for our Baptismal Vow Renewal:
A Renewal Celebration of Baptismal Vows

A Renewal Celebration of Baptismal Vows by Rev. Joseph Champlin

Prior to the actual renewal of baptismal vows, parents or godparents might read one or two biblical passages to remind participants of the meaning of baptism and of God’s presence through these inspired words.

Here are two excerpts which are commonly used at baptism:

A reading from the letter of Paul to the Romans:

Are you not aware that we who are baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?  Through baptism into his death we were buried with him, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might live a new life.  If we have been united with him through likeness to his death, so shall we be through a like resurrection. (Romans 6:3-5).

A reading from the Gospel according to Mark:

One of the scribes came up, and when he heard them arguing he realized how skillfully Jesus answered the.  He decided to ask him, “Which is the first of all the commandments”  

Jesus replied:  “This is the first:  ‘Hear, O Israel!  The Lord our God is Lord alone:  Therefore you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’

This is the second:  ‘‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

There is no other commandment greater than these.”  The scribe said to him:  “Excellent teacher!  You are right in saying, ‘He is the One, there is no other than He.’  Yes,‘to love Him with all our heart, with all our thoughts and with all our strength, and to love our neighbor as ourselves’ is worth more than any burnt offering or sacrifice.”  Jesus approved the insight of  this answer and told him, “You are not far from the reign of God.”  And no one had the courage to ask him any more questions. (Mark 12:28-34)

After a period of silent reflection or group discussion on the readings, a parent or someone from the family next could explain the meaning of baptism for this child in these, or similar words, and lead all present in the renewal rite which follows.

Leader:

Some time ago we presented N…. for baptism.  By water and the Holy Spirit he (she) received the gift of new life from God, who is love.  On our part we have made it our constant care to bring N...up in the practice of the faith.  We have tried to see that the divine life which God gave be kept from the poison of sin and might grow always stronger in N….’s heart.  We share a common faith, the faith of the Church, and it was in this faith N….was baptized. At that time we rejected sin and professed our faith in Christ Jesus.  Now that you, N...are older and your faith makes you ready to accept this responsibility, we ask you to renew the vows of your own baptism.  

Leader:  Do you reject sin, so as to live in the freedom of God’s children?

Child:  I do.

Leader:  Do you reject the glamor of evil, and refuse to be mastered by sin?

Child:  I do.

Leader:  Do you believe in God, the Father almighty,, creator of heaven and earth?

Child:  I do.

Leader:  Do you believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was born of the Virgin Mary, was crucified, died and was buried, rose from the dead, and is now seated at the right hand of the Father?

Child:  I do.

Leader:  Do you believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting?

Child:  I do.

Leader:  This is our faith.  This is the faith of  the Church.  We are proud to profess it, in Christ Jesus our Lord.

All:  Amen.

Leader:  You have renewed the vows of your baptism.  You are called a child of God, for so you are.  In confirmation you will receive the fullness of God’s spirit.  In holy communion you will share the banquet of Christ’s sacrifice calling God your Father in the midst of the Church.  In your name, all of us, sharing a common sonship, now pray together in the words our Lord gave us.

All:  Lord’s Prayer

Leader:  May God the almighty Father, who filled the world with joy by giving us the only Son, bless N...May he (she) grow to be more fully like Jesus Christ, our Lord.

All:  Amen.

Leader:  May almighty God, who gives life on earth and in heaven, bless the parents of N...May they always show their gratitude for the gift of life and  grace in N….by loving and caring for this child.

All:  Amen.

Leader:  May almighty God, who has given us a new birth by water and the Holy Spirit, generously bless all of us who are his faithful children.  May we always live as God’s people, and may the Lord bless all here present with his peace.

All:  Amen.

Leader:  May almighty God, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, bless us.

All:  Amen.s

An Honor to be Catholic (or Here Comes Everybody)

Old St. Mary's sanctuary (photo source)

I've been feeling a bit out of sorts in my faith of late.  I've always been very turned off by Catholics who publicly push their agenda for married or women priests or anything that is outside of the official teaching of the Church upon the rest of us Catholics.  And lately, I've begun to feel equally turned off by Catholics who publicly criticize the Pope and who push for only Latin Mass and only male altar servers, and a smaller, purer Church etc.  It's a big Church and we all belong, liberal, conservative and everyone in-between, and yet, it seems to me that we can't seem to stand each other.  Where is the love, I wonder?  Why can't we stop being so pushy?  Why can't we stop being so mean-spirited and small-minded?  Is this what Catholicism is really all about?  Must we constantly fight and criticize and trample upon each other in our efforts to be right and to prove everyone who doesn't agree with us to be wrong?

This dilemma, the constant clash between liberal and conservative Catholics, and people who label themselves as such, instead of simply calling themselves Catholic, and acting in a loving manner toward all, has made for a difficult Lent for me and there were many times when I found myself wondering whether I really belong anywhere in this Church, not really feeling particularly liberal or conservative myself but just loving God with all my heart and desperately wanting to draw closer and closer to Him each and every day.

And then the glorious day of the Easter Vigil arrived.  I had been asked to substitute for a lector and extraordinary minister of the Eucharist at this Mass.  I have been a lector for many years and feel quite comfortable proclaiming God's Word, but I've only served as an extraordinary minister of the Eucharist on a few occasions and I have never felt comfortable or worthy enough to offer the very Flesh and Blood of the Lord to others.  But, always wanting to model myself after the Blessed Mother, I said "yes" despite my reservations.

I was so nervous on the day of the Vigil that I actually had asked two different people to take my place and was tempted to ask two others, as well, in an attempt to back out of my promise to help.  NOT like the Blessed Mother at all!  Can you imagine her saying, "Uh, God?  I changed my mind about this whole Mother of Christ thing.  I'm too nervous and unworthy to go through with it.  Can you find someone else?"  Thank God she is so much stronger and braver than I!  But, God's plan for me was clearly to have me follow through on my promise, as those I had actually asked to take my place weren't able to accommodate me.

In the end, offering the Precious Blood of our Lord to the communicants at the Easter Vigil was one of the most beautiful and wonderful things I could have done to have enhanced and strengthened my wavering faith.  As an Oblate of the Precious Blood, affiliated with the Handmaids of the Precious Blood, offering all of my prayers for priests, I felt especially moved and overwhelmed as I stood near the altar and Fr. Mike handed the Blood of Christ to me.  I carefully moved down the steps and waited for the communion procession to begin.

First in line was the woman who was just baptized at the Easter Vigil, followed by the four adults who were received into the Church.  To offer the Blood of Christ to them for their very First Holy Communion, was incredibly touching!  Later, my own family members each bowed to the Lord's Blood and then uttered their "Amen's" as I offered them His Blood to drink.  This was an Easter I will never forget!  This was an Easter where I felt exceptionally proud and honored and moved to be Catholic!

Later, as I spoke with two of the newly received, a married couple, they shared a bit of their story with me about how they had long considered Catholicism and studied it from an intellectual viewpoint before finally committing to it.  Through their story, I realized that even though our Church may look ugly and dismal to those on the inside from time to time, to those on the outside looking in, we are a beautiful Church full of mystery and goodness and the Love of God, sinful and messy and full of complainers though we are.  I feel more blessed and proud than ever to call myself a Catholic and I wouldn't give up the beautiful gift of my Catholic faith for anything in the world!

Myrrh-Bearing Women

"On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb.  They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.  While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them.  In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead?  He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee:  ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ ”  Then they remembered his words."  ~Luke 24:1-8

Myrrh-Bearing Women by C.J.

 I have a friend who is an extremely talented artist. She uses her gift to prayerfully paint icons, and more than that, she shares her vast knowledge of prayerful art with me, increasing my appreciation for the gifts of beauty which are inspired by the very breath of God, the Holy Spirit. When she was working on the above icon, she brought it to my house and invited me to add gold to the halo of one of the three women standing outside of the tomb at the Resurrection of our Lord. I chose the woman that I thought would be Mary Magdalene.  She is depicted as the woman in red, representing her sin, covered by green representing her new life in Christ. I carefully applied the gold by first holding a prayer in my heart and then breathing upon the image. They say that every stroke and motion of icon painting is a prayer. So on that not so distant day I breathed a prayer to one of my favorite saints who always holds a favored place in my heart because she loved much and I long to emulate that quality in my own life. I want to cast my soul at the feet of our Lord and breathe continuous prayers of love to His Most Sacred Heart. I want to carry an alabaster jar of fragrant oil into the world and spread His love to others. I want to love much.

The following poem was written by Fr. Gerald Fitzgerald, sP, the founder of the Handmaids of the Precious Blood.  It's one of my favorites.  Wishing you a joyous Easter as we glory in our own redemption from our sins and cast our sorrow aside while rejoicing in the beauty of our own new life in our Risen Lord!

To Saint Mary Magdalene

You claimed
the false
until you found
the True;
your beauty
wounded
until Beauty
wounded you,
and plunged your soul
into a spring so sweet
your tears
fell as chaste pearls
at Mercy's
feet.

(a partial re-post from the archives)

Shining Lights

"My beloved... Do everything without grumbling or questioning, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine like lights in the world."  ~Philippians 2:15

Photo Credit:  Ankara Üniversitesi Doğa

I once heard a story about a woman who underwent the horrific experience of being raped.  Later, reflecting upon it, she thought about how God was within her during the entire time and she realized that the criminal was not only raping her, he was also raping God.  And looking more deeply into it, she thought about how God is within everyone, even the man who raped her, so he essentially caused God to take part in the evil action against her.  Thinking about this, realizing that God is within every single person, good and bad alike, it makes me want more than ever to be as good and holy as I can possibly be at all times because I cannot bear the thought of offending God by my thoughts and actions-not the God who lives within me or the  God who lives within others.  Through my body and soul and all of my experiences I want to offer the very best of me, to give him glory and honor in all things and contrition and repentance when I fail to live up to all of that to which He is worthy.

Thinking of this in light of the presidential elections in the United States, while I am very disheartened by the results, especially since the candidate who is the most anti-life and anti-religious freedom got the Catholic vote, I can't help but be joyful, too, remembering that God is always in control and He calls each and every one of us to bring His light of love, peace and joy to those around us.  It's really a very simple philosophy, if not always easy to live out.  We are called to be faithful in all things and if we can manage to do that, we will always remain close to His heart. 

I have been encouraged by the recent words of Archbishop Chaput:  "We are Catholics before we are Americans," but I am sorry that many Catholics don't seem to feel that way and want to make the Catholic Church into something it isn't and can never be, that is, a Church that allows death to have the last word.  For we know that in the end our Resurrected Lord will cause us all to rejoice with a hearty Risus Paschalis, an Easter laugh.  God always wins, even if there are dark days when it seems as if that is impossible.

We have to trust that no matter how evil and wicked others may seem to be through their words and actions and in their beliefs, He still shines within our souls.  It is our greatest responsibility to continue to serve Him with joy and love and to do all we can to bring others to know and love Him in such a way as to save their souls.  It's a huge and often lonely task, seemingly insurmountable.  I think about the movie For Greater Glory which portrayed the persecution of the Church in 21st century Mexico, and other horrible events in history such as the reign of Nazi terror and the ensuing holocaust of our Jewish brothers and sisters, and the rise of communism which represses faith in God.  Despite the evident hold of evil upon the hearts of many as seen in these heinous events of world history, God's faithful are plentiful and will remain firm in their beliefs.  

We are called to carry on and bring the light of Christ to those around us, even to those who refuse to accept the light.   We are to hold our heads high in following the narrow path while at the same time humbly serving those around us and doing all we can to see the God that lives within each of us while praying continually in atonement for the sins of our nation and especially for each of our individual sins.  These are the times in which saints and martyrs will be made.  Let's shine for all we're worth!  For the love of God, are you in?

The Upper Room

While the early morning sun rises over the lake, casting pink and blue shadows across the sky, a small group of friends gather in a cozy little chapel hidden away in the heart of the city, to offer the sacrifice of the Mass. We listen to the stories of the early Church in this Octave of Easter and my imagination carries me back to that long ago place and time. In my heart our intimate gathering of prayer and devotion is really taking place in that upper room where the disciples of Christ first gathered in fear and trembling which turned to amazement at the sight of the Lord in their midst. The host is raised and my heart cries out "It is the Lord!" (John 21:7) Like the disciples, I, too, am incredulous for joy. (Luke 24:41) He speaks to me and says "Come, have breakfast" (John 21:12) and I partake of His body and blood.

Oh Lord, make my heart an upper room where You appear and hold dominion. Fill me with Your grace so that, like the first apostles, I may carry Your presence in my heart, sharing You with all those I meet throughout the course of the day, filling the world with Your love and peace. Amen.

Transparent

"Bury your fear in faith. Otherwise you bury your talents." ~Ann Voskamp, A Holy Experience















In the mid-winter bleakness fear overtook my heart. I considered the word transparent and suddenly I felt naked and unprotected against the elements of pride and vanity. Fear of failure and of the possibility of hurting others with my words gripped my heart with its icy fingers. For three years I pounded out my life on this keyboard for all the world to see and to know me, to really know me. Was I really writing for God, I now wondered, or was I writing for myself? And suddenly I began to feel very uncomfortable with the somebody that I was and that I put on display for the world to know. I found that when I would run into people I hadn't seen in a while I'd have nothing to tell them because they knew all about me from reading my blog. I felt a strange sort of public loneliness and emptiness. And then Lent came along so I decided to take my words and my desire to be known into the desert of privacy for a time.

And when I walked away from this blog, the devil came along. He tempted me to quit writing for good by telling me that I was self-centered, that my reasons for writing weren't valid, that I didn't really please God. He convinced me that I had made on idol out of myself with my words here. He pointed out that there are plenty of far better Catholic writers in the blogosphere to which people could turn for inspiration and information than me. He whispered in his disgustingly evil yet surprisingly believable voice that I would be better off deleting Imprisoned in my Bones and all of the words it contains and never writing again. And so little by little I began to delete posts here and there. More than half of what I wrote in January and February is now gone.

I believed him when he said that my writing wasn't really making a difference in the world, that I was only wasting my time. He pointed out how much more time I had for truly good things like caring for my family by giving them more attention, caring for my body with exercise and caring for my soul with prayer. He made sense and I easily fell for his lies. But the devil is so good at poisoning souls with despair and I could not let him have his way with me. It's true that without this blog I had much less anxiety in my life, but, without this blog I felt like an empty, shallow shell of the Anne who loved to write and share her faith, the Anne who believed that she could make a difference in the world simply by writing about her experience of God within the Catholic faith tradition.

Thankfully, I was not alone in my lenten battle against the devil because Jesus was always right by my side offering me His abiding love and grace, inviting me into the safety and warmth of His Most Sacred Heart where I was warmed and strengthened and encouraged. And He has brought me the conviction that I should continue to write, but maybe not so much. I will continue to spill my soul in a public fashion in the hope that someone, even if it's only a single someone, will be drawn to a deeper love of God through my humble words. And I will do my best to always remember that whether or not I am known, whether or not I am too transparent in my words and whether or not writing satisfies some deep need within me, the only true and holy reason for writing this blog is to share my faith with you. And if through my words I am able to inspire you to love God more fully, to pray more deeply and to live your faith more truly, then it will all be worth it. So here I am on the other side of lent laughing at the devil with a Risus Paschalis, a hearty Easter laugh. Jesus lives and I just have to tell you about it!

My prayer for you, dear reader, is that you were also able to cling to the love of God and resist the tempter during your sojourn in the lenten desert, however you may have experienced it. Let's laugh and be joyful together, my friend. Let's cast out fear and be blessedly transparent as we share our gifts because we live in the light of the risen Savior and he will make all of our deserts blossom with love!

Wishing you a joyous Easter!!! Like the Easter Candle, let us mingle with the lights of heaven, transparently spreading the joy, hope, peace and love of the Risen Christ to all!

God Wins!

“God has made me laugh; every one who hears will laugh with me” (Gen 21:6).

Before he became Pope, Joseph Ratzinger quoted these words, spoken by Sarah when she was told she would conceive and bear a child, as he shared the custom of Risus Paschalis-The Easter Laugh. Risus Paschalis is a custom from the Baroque period when the Easter homily always contained a joke to make people laugh so the entire church would ring with joy. He said,“On Easter, we imagine Jesus' laughter of redemption. We who share an Easter faith can say, like Sarah, 'God has made me laugh.'”

For the past three years our parish had the great honor of hosting Bishop William Callahan as presider at our Easter Vigil, so this year the Vigil Mass, although beautiful in every way, felt just a bit lonelier without him, as Bishop Callahan is now Bishop of La Crosse, WI and is no longer able to join us.

But every time I think back to the first year that he had joined us, I just have to smile, remembering his homily about the Easter Laugh. It was the year that I was sponsoring my friend Amanda as she joined the Catholic Church through the RCIA Program. For me, everything about that particular Easter Vigil was electric with excitement and joy. I sat in the first row with Amanda on one side and my daughter, who was six at the time, on the other side, and during his homily, Bishop Callahan stood right in front of us with his hand on the edge of the pew as if the entire homily was meant for us alone, and he spoke of Risus Paschalis, the Easter Laugh.

And at this year's Easter Vigil, in fact, even before we left the house, the Easter Laugh kept bubbling up inside of me. My daughter, always the helpful nine year old, wanted me to practice my reading with her. (I lector at my parish and tonight I read the haunting words of Ezekial (36:16-17a, 18-28.) Although thankfully, I didn't blunder during Mass, I couldn't get through practicing it with Mary with a straight face. Just knowing that she was watching me made me burst into laughter, and when she joined in the laughter, the two of us were out of control with happiness.

At the vigil, sitting in the dark around the altar, I noticed the associate pastor practically dancing in his chair during the toe-tapping "Horse and Chariot", (Exodus 14:15-15:1) and that put a smile on my face that would not disappear for the remainder of the evening. Sitting next to the lead lector who had the responsibility of making the announcement to the pastor, "Reverend Father, tonight I bring you great news. Jesus Christ is risen from the dead." I just had to whisper to her, "That is so great!" as if it were the first time I had ever heard that news.

My son Jack's best friend and his brother and parents were all received into the Catholic Church at the Vigil, and the sight of an entire family giving themselves to God deepened my smile with the emotion of pride. Later, as I was sitting in the pew with my family once again, I was overjoyed to see that my daughter and youngest son noticed every single detail of the Mass including the joy of every person present, and Mary whispered that she never wants to miss a single Easter Vigil for the rest of her life, and all of this made me laugh.

After the Vigil, during the celebration welcoming our newest members of the Church, I was joined by one of my dearest and long-time friends, Katherine. The first thing she said to me was "You look happy." I realized that after four long years of leaning on the strength of God to beat back the devil of depression, I could clearly say that with God, I have won; yes, I am happy!

Bishop Callahan had said that there is nothing the devil despises more than the laughter and joy of God's people, it sends him running fast and far! On Easter we celebrate the fact that there is no despair, no loss, no death that the love and glory of God cannot overcome. In God we have life everlasting. The devil always loses and God wins! And I want to be on His side forever, singing a song of freedom! God has won the victory! Hallelujah!

"We are the Easter people, and hallelujah is our song!" Pope John Paul II

Easter Guest Post by Fr. Don Hying

I've frequently quoted my dear friend, Fr. Don Hying, on this blog. He is a fantastic writer with wisdom in his words that gives me food for thought and always satisfies my hunger for the Lord in one way or another. Fr. Don is the Rector of St. Francis de Sales Seminary in Milwaukee and writes both a monthly newsletter for the Seminary and a monthly column for the Milwaukee Catholic Herald. He is also a frequently requested guest speaker at many Archdiocesan events, and has his own radio program, "New Heart, New Spirit", on our local Relevant Radio Station. Fr. Don has given me a wonderful Easter gift; he has generously agreed to allow me to post his most recent Catholic Herald column on my blog. I am thrilled to share Fr. Don's Easter column with you and I pray that you, dear reader, will find it to be as wonderful and thought provoking as I do. It is my hope that Fr. Don will agree to become a regular guest writer at Imprisoned in my Bones.

Last year I was blessed to go to the Holy Land for the first time; the highlight of the trip was celebrating the Eucharist inside the tomb of Jesus in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. I felt like I was standing at the center of the cosmos, for this was the spot where the greatest event in the history of the world took place!

As we celebrate Easter, the Church goes back in her mind and heart to that extraordinary Sunday morning when, against all expectation, the women find the tomb of Christ empty and breathlessly run back to tell the apostles. The rising of Jesus from the dead is more than the resuscitation of a corpse; having conquered sin and death, the risen Christ now has a glorified and saving relationship with all of humanity and indeed the entire cosmos. Mistaken for a gardener, a ghost, an anonymous traveling companion, he starts appearing to Mary Magdalene, the apostles, the disciples on the road to Emmaus, 500 brothers at once. The risen Christ could not be restrained by locked doors or fearful hearts anymore than a sealed and dark tomb could hold him.

Clearly, from the day of Pentecost until the end of time, the mission of the Church is to proclaim the death and resurrection of Christ as the foundational event of human history, as the definitive salvation won for everyone through the loving plan of the Father, the obedience of the Son and the working of the Holy Spirit. In every proclamation of the Gospel, in every celebration of a sacrament, in every action of charity and mercy, the Church makes present in this time and place, for these people gathered the saving power of Jesus Christ, crucified and risen. The Acts of the Apostles testifies to the extraordinary success of this endeavor, right from the beginning of Christianity.

What are the events in our lives that serve as our spiritual foundation, those experiences that we return to time and time again in order to draw strength, inspiration and energy to move forward? The birth of children, the day of your wedding, a miraculous healing from sickness, the holy death of a loved one, a religious profession or an ordination, an unexpected moment of grace that led to conversion. All of us have those fundamental “peak” encounters with God which serve as guideposts for the rest of our life’s journey home.

The day of my ordination to the priesthood was the second greatest day of my life, (after my baptism which, like most of us, I cannot remember.) God was so real to me that day I could have reached out and touched Him. Whenever I am tired, discouraged, fearful or overwhelmed, I simply go back in my mind and heart to that glorious day and I am renewed. It is like sticking a finger into an electrical socket. The joy, promise, love and energy flow into my body, soul, mind and heart.

What ordination day is for me is what the resurrection of Jesus Christ is for the whole Church, but with one absolutely fundamental difference. We do not simply go back into the recesses of history to discover the risen Christ; he is gloriously alive, present and active in our midst within the mystery of the Church! Last October, in a presentation he gave here at the seminary, Bishop Blaise Cupich of Rapid City, South Dakota offered his assessment of the greatest problem facing the Church and his answer was not the one I was expecting. He didn’t talk about any of the crises reported in the newspapers; instead, he spoke about many Catholics’ fundamental misunderstanding that the risen Christ is truly, actively and gloriously present, right here and now, in our lives. Too often, we think and speak of Jesus as a historical figure who did great things but has passed from the scene.

How different life becomes when we expect the risen Lord to pop up somewhere in our lives every day. Assuredly, we will not recognize Him at first, just like the apostles didn’t. Probably, we will not fully understand what he is truly saying or asking of us. But when we put on the sacred lens of the resurrection, we start seeing Jesus everywhere! In that homeless man on the corner, in the splendor of the rising sun, in the gentle power of the Eucharist, in our family and friends, in the mystical truth of an El Greco painting and perhaps most surprisingly within ourselves. In God’s timetable, 2000 years is the blink of an eye, so it was just the day before yesterday that Mary Magdalene ran down the path with the astonishing news that the tomb was empty. The risen Christ lives, breathes and walks among us and within us. That Gospel should make us get up and dance! A blessed Easter!