Easter Hope “Are we there yet?” How often that refrain will be heard by travelling families this Easter holiday. And the bored or frustrated response will be along the lines of, “No, just a little bit longer.” As we journey through this life, something of that ‘wanting to be there before we have arrived’ bubbles within our hearts. Sometimes it emerges in restlessness, thrill seeking, acquisition of material goods, often in stupid, self-destructive behaviour. Personally I think it is the cause of a lot of sin and heart-break in our world. We want more and we want it now. Sometimes it emerges as boredom with life. Rather than have the pain and discomfort of moving on, people accept that this is all there is to life. Their unspoken motto is: “Enjoy what you can, while avoiding too much effort or strain.” A telling example is a life filled with hours of mindless television. Such viewers don’t want too much and would even settle for less if that helped them escape trouble. But as believers in the Risen Christ, we embrace both present and future. We live in this world while something within us propels us to future glory. And the future glory as Children of God is so wonderful, so extraordinary, that it can make life in the present more than a little uncomfortable! We seek more, not in thrills and in things, but in risking ourselves in love and service, just as Christ risked all in loving us. And just as Christ used the ordinary things of life for sacraments, we too embrace the world around us, not as bored spectators, but as worshippers who see reality as a sign pointing to God. May your Easter be filled with the love of God, love of family and friends and your life radiate the glory of the Risen Jesus.
Sr Kym Harris OSB |