I would like to wish all my Christian RF brothers and sisters a very Blessed Easter (and to our secular friends and friends of other faiths a nice chocolate egg-fest), with the appropriate paschal greeting (which replaces "hello!" for Christians on this holiest of days):
We are living through a time of almost universal uncertainty and fear for the future. Quite suddenly, indeed so quickly that many of us have barely had the chance to take stock, our daily lives have been uprooted in a plethora of unexpected ways - socially, economically, religiously - by the spread of this deadly contagion and the resultant national lock-downs. For some this time of trial has fallen much harder, with greater cruelty, than on others, and yet still we all live with the fear - fear for ourselves, our families and loved ones, for our communities and countries, and indeed for the world.
On top of the worries about our health and mental well-being, we also have the financial situation in the markets, with furloughing, job losses and concern over our savings, income and future livelihoods etc. etc. It's an exceedingly stressful time.
Sometimes, the rolling stream of terrible news - informing us of a seemingly never-ending toll of human misery and death - can feel psychologically overwhelming; leaving us with a lingering sense of powerlessness and despair in the face of perilous events, over which we have absolutely no control. We all could be doing with some Good News and Easter is about 'good news'.
For in the Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus, we Christians have a living hope for the future. Even after the greatest pain, there is renewal.
At dawn on that first Easter morning, the holy women - led by St. Mary Magdalene, the Apostle to the Apostles - came to the tomb where, a mere three days before, the lifeless corpse of Jesus had been buried after his torture and crucifixion by the Roman state. They must have been so afraid. As Pope Francis noted in his Easter Vigil homily last night, in a near empty St. Peter's Basilica:
But there the angel said to them: “Do not be afraid. He is not here; for he has risen” (Matthew 28:5-6).
This is the message of Easter: that after the darkest of nights, from the depths of despair and suffering on the cross of Calvary, came “the dawn of the first day of the week”: the hope of a bright new day - the Lord's Day - ere the sun rises. Life will return, one way or another, even though it will likely not be the same as it was before - no, for it will be better.
May we all share in the great hope of Easter and live now in the light of that new dawn.
Before I go - and get stuffed into a chocolate Easter egg - I'd like to share with you an exceedingly ancient and beautiful meditation by a great early church father: a Homily of Saint Epiphanus (ca. 400 AD) on Christ's descent into Hell in the silence of the tomb on Holy Saturday and His Resurrection on Easter Sunday:
From an ancient homily for Holy Saturday: The Lord's descent into hell
Christus resurrexit! Resurrexit vere!
[Christ is Risen! Truly, He is Risen!]
[Christ is Risen! Truly, He is Risen!]
We are living through a time of almost universal uncertainty and fear for the future. Quite suddenly, indeed so quickly that many of us have barely had the chance to take stock, our daily lives have been uprooted in a plethora of unexpected ways - socially, economically, religiously - by the spread of this deadly contagion and the resultant national lock-downs. For some this time of trial has fallen much harder, with greater cruelty, than on others, and yet still we all live with the fear - fear for ourselves, our families and loved ones, for our communities and countries, and indeed for the world.
On top of the worries about our health and mental well-being, we also have the financial situation in the markets, with furloughing, job losses and concern over our savings, income and future livelihoods etc. etc. It's an exceedingly stressful time.
Sometimes, the rolling stream of terrible news - informing us of a seemingly never-ending toll of human misery and death - can feel psychologically overwhelming; leaving us with a lingering sense of powerlessness and despair in the face of perilous events, over which we have absolutely no control. We all could be doing with some Good News and Easter is about 'good news'.
For in the Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus, we Christians have a living hope for the future. Even after the greatest pain, there is renewal.
At dawn on that first Easter morning, the holy women - led by St. Mary Magdalene, the Apostle to the Apostles - came to the tomb where, a mere three days before, the lifeless corpse of Jesus had been buried after his torture and crucifixion by the Roman state. They must have been so afraid. As Pope Francis noted in his Easter Vigil homily last night, in a near empty St. Peter's Basilica:
"They, like us, had before their eyes the drama of suffering, of an unexpected tragedy that happened all too suddenly. They had seen death and it weighed on their hearts. Pain was mixed with fear: would they suffer the same fate as the Master? Then too there was fear about the future and all that would need to be rebuilt. A painful memory, a hope cut short. For them, as for us, it was the darkest hour."
But there the angel said to them: “Do not be afraid. He is not here; for he has risen” (Matthew 28:5-6).
This is the message of Easter: that after the darkest of nights, from the depths of despair and suffering on the cross of Calvary, came “the dawn of the first day of the week”: the hope of a bright new day - the Lord's Day - ere the sun rises. Life will return, one way or another, even though it will likely not be the same as it was before - no, for it will be better.
May we all share in the great hope of Easter and live now in the light of that new dawn.
Before I go - and get stuffed into a chocolate Easter egg - I'd like to share with you an exceedingly ancient and beautiful meditation by a great early church father: a Homily of Saint Epiphanus (ca. 400 AD) on Christ's descent into Hell in the silence of the tomb on Holy Saturday and His Resurrection on Easter Sunday:
From an ancient homily for Holy Saturday: The Lord's descent into hell
What is happening? Today there is a great silence over the earth, a great silence, and stillness, a great silence because the King sleeps; the earth was in terror and was still, because God slept in the flesh and raised up those who were sleeping from the ages. God has died in the flesh, and the underworld has trembled....
The Lord goes in to them holding his victorious weapon, his cross....And grasping his hand he raises him up, saying: ‘Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give you light.
‘I command you: Awake, sleeper, I have not made you to be held a prisoner in the underworld. Arise from the dead; I am the life of the dead. Arise, O man, work of my hands, arise, you who were fashioned in my image. Rise, let us go hence; for you in me and I in you, together we are one undivided person.
‘For you, I your God became your son; for you, I the Master took on your form; that of slave; for you, I who am above the heavens came on earth and under the earth; for you, man, I became as a man without help, free among the dead...
‘Look at the spittle on my face, which I received because of you, in order to restore you to that first divine inbreathing at creation. See the blows on my cheeks, which I accepted in order to refashion your distorted form to my own image.
'See the scourging of my back, which I accepted in order to disperse the load of your sins which was laid upon your back. See my hands nailed to the tree for a good purpose, for you, who stretched out your hand to the tree for an evil one.
`I slept on the cross and a sword pierced my side, for you, who slept in paradise and brought forth Eve from your side. My side healed the pain of your side; my sleep will release you.'
The Lord goes in to them holding his victorious weapon, his cross....And grasping his hand he raises him up, saying: ‘Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give you light.
‘I command you: Awake, sleeper, I have not made you to be held a prisoner in the underworld. Arise from the dead; I am the life of the dead. Arise, O man, work of my hands, arise, you who were fashioned in my image. Rise, let us go hence; for you in me and I in you, together we are one undivided person.
‘For you, I your God became your son; for you, I the Master took on your form; that of slave; for you, I who am above the heavens came on earth and under the earth; for you, man, I became as a man without help, free among the dead...
‘Look at the spittle on my face, which I received because of you, in order to restore you to that first divine inbreathing at creation. See the blows on my cheeks, which I accepted in order to refashion your distorted form to my own image.
'See the scourging of my back, which I accepted in order to disperse the load of your sins which was laid upon your back. See my hands nailed to the tree for a good purpose, for you, who stretched out your hand to the tree for an evil one.
`I slept on the cross and a sword pierced my side, for you, who slept in paradise and brought forth Eve from your side. My side healed the pain of your side; my sleep will release you.'
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