Sharing in the ongoing work of creation
By Father Larry Kramer of St. Paul of the Cross Catholic Church, Columbia City
Can there be such a thing as a Resurrection Lifestyle? There ought to be if Easter is to mean anything. What would such a lifestyle look like?
One thing it would not be is a denial of suffering. In fact it would encourage us to continue some of our Lenten efforts to toughen our wills for the challenges of the Christian life we continue to face. We would also be more inclined to see the unavoidable sufferings in our lives as a sharing in the Passion of Christ, the price paid for our salvation.
On the positive side, we would be able to see that the Lord is winning the battle against evil. We would see ourselves not as onlookers to this battle, but as fighting and winning along with Him. On the Sundays of Easter we hear the Gospel stories of Christ’s startling appearances to the disciples, who had been in the midst of adjusting to His absolute defeat, framed, tortured and executed as a common criminal. We celebrate His Ascension into heaven, His gift to us of the Holy Spirit, the fact that He is part of a They, an interdependent team of three perfect persons, who experience their perfection as working together with us ,their creatures, to bring about the reflection of that perfection in the world around us.
Also in the wake of the great Easter feast we celebrate the Body and Blood of Christ, the food and drink that nourish our sharing in this ongoing work of creation.
What a power and what a privilege the Easter Lifestyle is! And it is ours to share.
Can there be such a thing as a Resurrection Lifestyle? There ought to be if Easter is to mean anything. What would such a lifestyle look like?
One thing it would not be is a denial of suffering. In fact it would encourage us to continue some of our Lenten efforts to toughen our wills for the challenges of the Christian life we continue to face. We would also be more inclined to see the unavoidable sufferings in our lives as a sharing in the Passion of Christ, the price paid for our salvation.
On the positive side, we would be able to see that the Lord is winning the battle against evil. We would see ourselves not as onlookers to this battle, but as fighting and winning along with Him. On the Sundays of Easter we hear the Gospel stories of Christ’s startling appearances to the disciples, who had been in the midst of adjusting to His absolute defeat, framed, tortured and executed as a common criminal. We celebrate His Ascension into heaven, His gift to us of the Holy Spirit, the fact that He is part of a They, an interdependent team of three perfect persons, who experience their perfection as working together with us ,their creatures, to bring about the reflection of that perfection in the world around us.
Also in the wake of the great Easter feast we celebrate the Body and Blood of Christ, the food and drink that nourish our sharing in this ongoing work of creation.
What a power and what a privilege the Easter Lifestyle is! And it is ours to share.