Living In Easter Hope and Glory

As we enter into the Word of God this Fifth Sunday of Easter, we are invited to remember as St. Teresa of Avila said, “The feeling remains that God is on the journey too.”  This is the reality that we must keep in our hearts and souls as we make this Easter journey of faith much like the early Christian Community.

Like Mary Magdalene, Mary, Lydia, Phoebe, Peter, Paul, Barnabas and countless others who went before us, we experience the same intense emotions and feelings they may have during the time of Christ’s resurrection,. Threats of terror, political unrest in our world, daily violence and abuse in our country are not very different from what our first century church and culture experienced. Imagine the fear and the joy they must have felt; the confusion of hope mixed with doubt; and conflicts within the community and outside the community. Yet, our risen Jesus appears to them and to us saying, “Peace be with you,” “Do not be afraid”, “Receive the Holy Spirit”, “Behold, I make all things new.”(Rev.7:17).

At the last supper Jesus commanded the disciples to love as he did. If the world will know him and his glory, it will only happen through His disciples and that is through you and me. “I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another. This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (Jn. 13:34-35) As God is glorified in Jesus, we give glory to God by the way we love and care for our brothers and sisters; this is OUR new commandment.

Jesus’ gift of his very self and the gift of the Holy Spirit is the only explanation for the deep transformational and graced healing of the disciples and for you and me. Our faith in the power of our resurrected Christ can make us new and help us replace our fears with hope and trust, allowing God to wipe every tear from our eyes.

Receiving the gift of Easter Hope and Glory to rule our lives will grace us with the same power and courage as Paul and Barnabas. “And when they (Paul & Barnabas) arrived, they called the church together and reported what God had done with them and how he had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles” (Acts 13: 52). These two disciples believed and deeply experienced the power of the risen Christ and they knew that God was using them for his glory and purposes. Can you and I claim that same awareness in our lives and pray to God, “Risen Jesus, use me for your glory”.

As we continue to celebrate this Easter season, our scriptures are challenging and inspiring; they invite us to share and manifest God’s glory. They call us individually and as faith communities to make a leap of Easter Faith into God’s undying and unconditional love, knowing most definitely that God is intimately involved in this journey with us.

Sister Rose Ann Barmann, OSB