Blessings to Easter People
Yesterday we celebrated the Resurrection of Christ with each other. This morning we received the news of the passing of Pope Francis.
Although saddened by the Pope’s passing, I am so grateful for his life and leadership of the church. As I preached yesterday, I was inspired by seeing and listening to his address at the Vatican in the morning. The words from John and our re-telling of the resurrection story eases our sorrow for his earthly loss but, we are all reminded that part of Pope Francis’ journey is over but his legacy will live on through us. Pope Francis was a man of the people. His focus his entire life was caring for the poor, the downtrodden and a constant search for peace and love among all people. We just celebrated the resurrection of Christ whose final commandment to His disciples was to do just that. Francis in his weakened state, found the strength on Easter Day to remind us all of Jesus’ commandment.
And we are grateful.
As I read the comments of Pope Francis’ passing this morning, I read words from Diana Butler Bass and the words from yesterdays address at the Vatican. I thought you would find comfort and inspiration in it’s content.
Pope Francis was present as his assistants read for Him what is referred to as “ urbi et orbi” meaning “to Rome and to the World”. They later would read His Easter Sermon as well.
“The light of Easter impels us to break down the barriers that create division and are fraught with grave political and economic consequences. It impels us to care for one another, to increase our mutual solidarity, and to work for the integral development of each person. I appeal to all those in positions of political responsibility in our world not to yield to the logic of fear which only leads to isolation from others, but rather use the resources available to help the needy, to fight hunger and to encourage initiatives that promote development. These are the “weapons” of peace; weapons that build the future, instead of sowing seeds of death!
Pope Francis final sermon….
Mary Magdalene seeing that the stone had been rolled away, ran to tell Peter and John. After receiving the shocking news, the two disciples also went out, as the Gospel says, the two were running together. The main figures of the Easter narratives all ran! On the one hand, running could express the desire, the yearning of the heart, the inner attitude of those who set out to search for Jesus. He, in fact has risen from the dead and therefore no longer in the tomb. We must look for Him elsewhere.
This is the message of Easter: we must look for Him elsewhere. Christ is risen, He is alive! He is no longer a prisoner of death, He sis no longer wrapped in the shroud, and therefore we cannot cofine Him to a fairy tale, we cannot make Him a hero of the ancient world, or think of Him as a statue in a museum! On the contrary, we must look for Him and this is why we cannot remain stationary. We must take action, set out to look for Him: look for Him in life, look for Him in the faces of our brothers and sisters, look for Him in everyday business, look for Him everywhere except in the tomb.
We must look for Him without ceasing. Because if He sis risen from the dead, then He is present everywhere, He dwells among us, He hides himself and reveals himself even today in the sisters and brothers we meet along the way in the most ordinary and unpredictable situations of our lives. He is alive and is with us always, shedding the tears of those who suffer and adding to the beauty of life through the small acts of love carried out by each of us.
For this reason, our Easter faith, which opens us to the encounter with the risen Lord and prepares us to welcome Him into our lives, is anything but a complacent settling into some sort of “religious reassurance”. On the contrary, Easter spurs us to action, to run like Mary Magdalene and the other disciples; it invites us to have eyes that can see beyond, to perceive Jesus, the one who lives, as the God who reveals himself and makes himself present even today, He who speaks to us, He who goes before us, surprises us. Like Mary Magdalene, every day we can experience losing the Lord, but everyday we can also run to look for Him again, with the certainty that He will allow himself to be found and will fill us with the light of His resurrection. AMEN
As I reflect on my own words from yesterday, I find comfort in the image and words of Mary Magdalene running to find her Lord Jesus Christ. May we all run toward Jesus, may we all open our arms and embrace Jesus who lies in the hearts of all people. We find Him in the community of our brothers and sisters.
Pope Francis’ final prayer….
“Sisters and Brothers, in the wonder of the Easter faith, carrying in our hearts every expectation of peace and liberation, we can say: with you Lord, everything is new. With you, everything begins again.”
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