Christ is Risen! He is with us!

With all the shut downs the feast of Easter brings a strange feeling.  The usual celebrations are not possible.  You may be missing the BBQs with your friends, holiday meetings  with your family, grandparents and grandchildren and the like.  For that we will have to wait till this pandemic is over.  What are most cherished now are the care for the sick and the needy and quality time with the immediate family.  Love and its expression are at the heart of everyone much more than the fear of the pandemic.  The disaster of COVID19 is helping humanity to transcend the perishable aspects of life and focus on the force that drives humans, love.  In the death and resurrection of Jesus, the love of God is manifested in a very powerful way.  Easter joy is the celebration of the love of God.

In the Holy Week, we meditated on the bodily destruction of Jesus.  With the pain of this loss, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb of Jesus only to find it empty.  Losing even the dead body of Jesus was too much for her.  She wept.  Such was her love for Jesus.  But soon she realised that Jesus was not lost.  He was risen.  Now the risen Christ lovingly called her by name.  John uses this bond of love to speak about the resurrection of Christ.  No one ever saw the body of Christ coming out of the tomb.  But all who proclaimed the resurrection of Christ had a loving bond with Jesus.  Those who condemned Jesus to death could kill his body, but not the love-bond of the disciples with Jesus.  Mary Magdalene and other disciples who continue to experience the loving bond with Jesus after his resurrection became a new creation.  They became powerful generators of love, creating mighty fellowship that could transcend all odds. As a disciple of Christ you too are able to generate the power of love needed to weave a beautiful fellowship.  The fellowship you weave with your love is what is needed in this time gloom.  Live it and celebrate it in Christ risen.

In the narration of Luke also there is no mention of anyone witnessing the body of Jesus coming out of the tomb.  He tells the story of two people travelling from Jerusalem to their village Emmaus and towards darkness.  These people were very learned and could discuss any part of the scripture.  They were also fully aware of the life and death of Jesus.  But they were still gloomy.  Then the magic happened. Jesus walked with them.  They invited Jesus into their own home.  When these two travellers showed their love for Jesus, he in turn manifested his love for them by breaking bread with them.  That became a bond of love between them.  This loving bond brought so much light into their lives that  now they are radiating hope and joy.  With that they returned to Jerusalem to create fellowship with other disciples.

Easter is the revelation of God’s immense love.  If you encounter the resurrected Christ, you will realise that God has gifted you the greatest force, love and charity, which can conquer everything in the world including this pandemic.  May your life shine the light of Easter for the world.  Alleluia, Christ is risen!