East Sunday Year A 2023
Sr Macrina Wiederkehr osb has an interesting way of welcoming Easter. Rather than being observers of this astounding experience, she suggests that we let Easter into our lives.
In baptism God took root within us. We became temples of the Holy Spirit. On Easter Day Jesus appears among us to renew that presence of God within and to fill us with light and Joy and peace and love. Easter is not an explanation, something to be understand, but an experience. Jesus wants to strengthen his presence in our lives, yours and mine. He wants us to be his instruments of the light, joy, peace and love with which he has blessed us.
To help create that Easter experience Macrina makes this appeal:
On letting Easter in
When dawn stands still with wonder,
when birds jubilate in the trees,
when buds hurry into blossoms
and grass starts wearing green,
I always know that Easter wants to come again.
But deeper yet and richer still
when Jesus, imprisoned in me,
asks me to roll away the stone
that locks him in,
then Easter wants to come again.
So, let it come.
It’s one dawn past rising time
and Resurrection is the wildest news
that’s ever touched
this crazy, mixed-up world.
It says, yes!
when everything else says, no!
It says, up!
when everything else says, down!
It says, live!
when everything else says, die!
Easter’s standing at your door again,
So, don’t you see that stone has got to go?
That stone of fear,
of selfishness and pride,
of greed and blindness,
and all the other stones we use
to keep Jesus in the tomb.
So, here’s to rolling stones away,
to give our Lord the chance He needs
to rise and touch
a troubled, lonely world.
Some call it Resurrection.
It’s wild with wonder.
It’s beautiful and real.
Intent on throwing life around
it touches and it heals!
Yes, Easter, you can come.
An angel of life I’ll be.
I’ll roll the stone away
and set you free!
Jesus rose from the dead to set us free from all that harms us but he also wants to nourish and strengthen our good qualities: kindness, gentleness, patience, caring, generosity to others, empathy, mercy and forgiveness. Jesus came to show us how much God loves us and how important we are. Jesus makes clear that the love of God is greater than the power of evil and death. It was out of Love that Jesus accepted death on a cross and it is out of Love, God’s love, that Jesus rose again.
So let us rejoice and with thankful and loving hearts proclaim that Jesus Christ is risen from the dead and has set us free. Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
Fr Thomas O'Brien a.a