Beloved:
Be glad. Life is a good thing. I have a memory of one of the first
times I became aware of this basic fact. I was playing shortstop. I
was probably 10 or 11 years old. My glove was worn in and I felt like
I could catch anything that came to me. I willed every ball to be hit
to me. The sun was shining. The birds were singing. The dandelions
covered the outfield. The infield dirt was warm and soft. My jeans
and sneakers and t-shirt were as much a part of me that summer as my
own skin. I could have played forever. Sometimes I laughed right out
loud for no apparent reason. I didn’t know it then but I know now
that I was experiencing the joy of being alive, of being happy, of
being myself. I hope you have a similar memory that reminds you of
what joy feels like.
Life
is good but it has a way of wearing us down. Things happen. There are
reasons to be sad. People get hurt. There are reasons to worry about
things. Things go wrong. There are things that have to be done. I
can’t play shortstop forever. I have other things to do. At the
same time the flowers still bloom. The sun still shines. Baseball
still happens. The children are beautiful. Love never stops
happening. People find each other. The joy may get lost in the
weariness and sadness but it never goes away. This is the promise of
Easter and why Easter is so important not just for what happened but
what continues to happen. Yes, I know this is May but May is still
part of the Easter season and appropriately so for May is beautiful
and alive and a reminder that life is good. Easter goes on even
beyond the liturgical calendar. We are now and always the Easter
people. It takes more than one day to celebrate Easter even the rest
of our lives.
Easter
is the confirmation that life is good. We are skeptical. We have our
doubts and for good reason. We become afraid. When you play shortstop
and become afraid of the ball the joy is gone and terror takes over.
Sure bad things happen in every life. The problem is when we begin to
expect the bad things to happen and give up on the good, even quit
playing. Easter won’t let us forget that goodness wins just like in
the old movies.
This
may be hard to believe. Heck, those who were there had a hard time
believing it. Who could believe it? It is impossible. And yet, we are
still wondering, still hoping that it is too good not
to be true. And we
are still wondering and still hoping because what happened is still
happening.
What
is preserved in Paul’s letters, the Gospels and Acts, the rest of
the New Testament canon and the traditions of the church is,
thankfully, not merely an historical record. Rather it is the record
of the encounter between people of faith and the living Lord, the
Risen Christ. Those who have experienced this encounter know that it
is historical.
It occurs in time and space over and over again. Moreover, this
encounter is as real as real ever gets. (Peter Miano, The
Word of God and the World of the Bible)
Joy.
How could we forget? How could we let it go from us so easily? Easter
is as real as real ever gets. Life is good. Don’t be afraid
anymore. Be glad. Be generous. Be happy. Be grateful. Play ball!
Peace
and love.
Larry
