The strife is o’er, the battle done
Now is the Victor’s triumph won;
O let the song of praise be sung.
Alleluia!
Well, it’s Easter Sunday and Christians around the world are celebrating the resurrection of Christ. As a Catholic, I have always been deeply moved by the whole Easter week experience. I’m a firm believer that the miracle of Easter is more meaningful when we understand the suffering that Jesus endured and the darkness that fell over the world during his three days in the tomb.
I think we can all draw some parallels to the state of the world we’re in now.
In a very broad sense, our state, our nation and our world are spending time in that darkness as we hunker down at home in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Like plants in the ground gone dormant in the cold of winter, businesses are shuttered, games are canceled, relationships with coworkers are diminished by the lack of proximity. As we weather this societal winter, one could argue that we’re all experiencing a version of the uncertainty that followers of Jesus felt over the days when he was sealed in the tomb.
Today, I am inspired more than ever by the Resurrection and consider it an encouragement to all of us as we dwell in the darkness of the coronavirus. One day soon, this trial will be behind us and we will step into the light to witness the restoration of our shared life as a society and of our state as a beacon of economic resiliency.
So, on this Easter Sunday, I hope that you will take time to congregate with your church family, online of course, in what I call “gathering apart.” As I discussed in this video conversation with two faith leaders in the Houston area the other day, we can all learn from this time. Rather than “Netflix our way” through this season, we can and should take the initiative in our lives, in our faith and in our relationships to grow.
So I hope that this Easter is your best Easter ever, for the hope that it gives you for eternity and also for the hope that it gives us all for a new day is coming for our state, nation and world. Blessings to you and yours from me and mine.
