CALLED TO NAME, CLAIM AND
LIVE IN THE POWER OF RESURRECTION
by Sr. Brenda Walsh,
Racine Dominican
As we
celebrate the Paschal Mystery, we are reminded and give thanks
for the abundance of God’s love for all humankind. We are
thankful for salvation and the new life offered to us, through
the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, our Risen Savior.
Each of us is Invited to follow the path of Resurrection . It
does not mean that we will have a trouble-free life. The promise
is that we will never walk alone - a promise offered to every
one of us.
At this
holy season, we are invited to look deep within our own life
journey and treasure the gifts of life we enjoy. Our society
offers us a variety of gifts, such as power, economic and
political, wealth and more. None is like the power of the Spirit
freely offered to us. This will give us a profound depth of
meaning in our daily lives and relationships with the whole
human family. Our life journey will lead us to peace and love,
harmony, forgiveness and justice . We can then do great things
to create a peaceful world through the power of the Spirit
working in us and through us. This is a gift offered to each of
us and to generations yet to come.
We are
called to open ourselves to receive the abundance of God’s grace
and use our gifts offered to create the kind of world God has in
mind for all people. When we open wide our minds and hearts to
receive God’s grace, we need to clear out and let go of old
grudges and spiteful thinking, and prepare for the coming of the
Spirit. Then we will be able to share the Spirit’s life with
those around us. We all need reminders that there is something
more important than our own agenda. It is to build a system of
harmony, peace, love and compassion for all people. God will be
with us as sustainer, friend, life-giver and victor every step
of the way. We pray for the will and courage to choose God’s way
and return to our best selves .
We have
the wonderful promise of eternal life to be with our loving and
gracious God for all eternity. When we do this, we will be
naming, claiming and using the gifts of the Spirit and share
God’s abundant life with all we meet. This will be true of our
own lives, no matter what challenges or hardships we are
experiencing. Like the early followers of Jesus, we will let
Easter life shine upon us and through us and bring new life and
hope to our world. Then we can sing a hymn of praise and
remove the stones from some of the tombs around the world and
turn war and tyranny into the bright light of the Risen Lord.
Some of the stones we can help remove are poverty and inequality
of many kinds. Our efforts to bring about peace and justice will
bring hope and healing to a broken world. The world Day of
Social Justice which is scheduled for Feb. 20th calls
us to be involved in justice efforts and work to help all people
benefit from the fruits of the earth.
Loving God, help us to bring your healing touch to those
around us. We give You thanks for the abundance of Love offered
to us through the life, death and Resurrection of Jesus. Let us
remember the Resurrection moments in our own lives and then work
to bring joy and hope to dark and dreary places in our world.
Spirit
of God, guide us and enable us to fulfill our call with courage,
conviction and hope. Easter Blessings to all!
