22 Apr Monday

Easter: many guests, flowers without end, pear tree blossoms, afternoon rain, a fine dinner of lamb, happy greetings, two wedding anniversaries (50 and 62 years), flung baptismal water, renewal of promises, children dressed to the nines, exactly five Easter hats altogether, smiles everywhere, one newborn baby! Ah, we have been so blessed! There’s more — today is Earth Day! This beautiful planet entrusted into our care, scarred by our ignorant and stupid misreading of “and have dominion over it” from Genesis.

Saturday, I listened to part of the commemoration and remembrance at the gathering at Columbine High School of the 1999 shooting. A community of great resilience, solidarity, and resurrection shared emotions, visions, and grief for the loss. Easter Sunday, the insanity continued relentlessly in Sri Lanka with church and hotel bombings. Indeed the world has been given over to the Evil One, yet in this world we are sent as the Father sent Jesus to be a presence of reconciliation, forgiveness, peacemaking.

New life is breathed into us by Christ and this sends us in the great commission. Like Thomas, we ask ourselves if this can be true. We question, doubt, and deny. The key is in the signs of Jesus, precisely all those things above that I experienced in Easter that his presence is everywhere if but see.