Jump! «

Jump!

Grace: To be jubilant because my Lord and friend is alive!  To see Him standing right before my eyes.

Text for Prayer: Jn 20:11-29 and Jn 21:1-25

Mary Magdalena weeps outside an empty tomb and mistakes Jesus for a gardener.  The fearful disciples lock themselves inside their homes.  Thomas doubts and Peter doesn’t recognize Jesus until John points to Him.  At this point, it would seem appropriate for Jesus to scream and rip out His hair.  These people didn’t get it the first time, and they still don’t get it!

Fortunately for the disciples, and for us, Jesus says “peace” and not “payback!”  He asks, “Do you love me?” instead of, “Do you know how you’ve offended me?”  He knows it takes us a little while to understand, and He has all eternity to wait.  Even so, we don’t have all eternity to respond.

We can either mope around a lifeless tomb or turn around and see Life face to face.  We can keep the doors locked or swing them open so that all can hear us boldly proclaim, “Alleluia, alleluia, He has risen, alleluia!”We can panic and ask everyone, “Where is God now?” or we can find God in everyone and in all things. We can demand for proof, which in reality won’t satisfy us for long, or we can ask for certainty of faith while living in doubt.

I do not wish to see the good God here on earth.  No. Not in the least.  And yet I love him.  I also love the Mother of God and the saints very much; but I do not wish to see them neither.  I prefer to live in faith.”-St. Thérèse de Lisieux

When we recognize the Lord preparing a meal for us, we can either munch on a dry energy bar while waiting for the boat to reach the shore, or we can jump into the water and swim as fast as we could to fresh fish roasting on an open fire.

The resurrected Lord is among us.  He walks with us, comforts us, challenges us, cries with us, laughs with us, and feeds us, but when we get caught up with so many things, distancing our lives from the context of the Resurrection, life loses its aim and we continue to search for the living among the dead.

Let us experience the joy that Mary the Mother of God experienced when her only Hope came back from the dead.  All her struggles and silent pondering now made sense to her in context of this new Life.  There is no greater hope than hope in the resurrected Savior who has redeemed all of creation.  What is better than knowing that no defeat is permanent, that death does not have the final say?  Behold, the resurrected One who resurrects hope stands at the shore.  O sons and daughters of the King, what are you waiting for?  Jump!