THE PROMISE OF EASTER –“ THAT ALL MAY HAVE LIFE AND HAVE IT IN ABUNDANCE.” (John 10:10)

By Sister Brenda Walsh,   Racine Dominican

At Easter time we celebrate the Paschal Mystery and give thanks for the super-abundance of God’s live. It is a time to live with deep gratitude for the salvation and new life offered to us through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus.

Following the path of Resurrection is not a guarantee that we will never have life challenges. What it does mean is that we will never have to face the challenges   alone. The Promise of Life that is offered to each of us, calls us to examine our approach to life.  In many ways our society has made great advances in science, medicine, technology and other fields. At this Easter season, we are invited to tap into a far greater power, the power of God’s Spirit always available to us. If we fail to do this, we deny ourselves access to life’s deeper meaning and purpose, in our own lives and in our relationship with the human family, those close to us and those far away from us.

During this Easter season, we are invited to take a deeper look at our life journey and reflect on the promise of God’s life in abundance. How does it affect us individually and communally, and also the world beyond us? We pray the prayer of Jesus calling us to live in harmony and peace, forgiveness, justice and love. We face many daunting challenges today in the world around us – often marred by wars, conflict, economic woes and neglect of every kind. Many of the movements we hear about are not working in the best interests of the human family.

We need a new vision, a new way of being and doing that is life-giving and guided by justice, peace and love. We all need to be reminded that our own personal agenda is not of greatest importance. We are challenged to live and act in the power of the Risen Lord and to choose hope, life and wellness for ourselves and for generations still to come. Then we can help bring God’s truth and healing love to many people. Each one of us is asked to be a credible witness to the power of the risen Lord, believing in the promise that “God’s power working in us can do infinitely more than we dare ask or imagine” This is a good time to think about what is the abundant life that the Risen Lord is offering us. It certainly does not mean an abundance of worldly goods.  It is an abundance of deep faith and courage.  Each day is a gift given us by God. It is a time freely given to “praise, to bless and to preach, by the witness of our lives.”

In addition we have the promise of eternal life to be with our God for all eternity. Using these gifts given us, it will deepen our relationship with God and we will be assured that we are living abundantly, no matter what the circumstances of our lives happen to be 

Like the early apostles, we pray for the peace of Jesus’ presence Eastering into radiant life. This will enable us to light our world with hope. We can sing an Exultet to every dark tomb that appears around us and announce the resurrection of Jesus. We think of the people all over the world who lack hope and life and a means to survive. We pray and work to remove the stones that prevent or destroy life for so many. We can help make tyranny tremble, the tyranny of war and violence, hunger and disease, and make fearful hearts feel the redeeming presence of the living God.

This year as we celebrate The Year of Faith, we pray to awaken our own and the faith of believing people everywhere, and  allow it to cast an Easter glow on all the earth. May we stand strong in our faith and reach out with courage and hope to bring God’s redeeming love to our broken world. Like Mary, may we stand firm and steadfast in our ministry of bringing God’s healing touch to those most in need. God of life and hope, fill us and all people with the abundance of your love.