Dawn after darkness

Dawn after darkness

 

The event of Easter, that is, Christ’s resurrection is reckoned as happening at early Sunday morning. The narrative of the Easter event emphasizes dawning: dispelling the darkness, clearing up a sad misunderstanding with a joyous realization. A dawning after darkness:  a new day, a new week, a new era, a new life.

 

Being raised to life in Christ, our thoughts and aspirations are meant to express this new life.  The direction of Christian life is an onward and upward course.  Retrogression or stagnation is not compatible with this new life.  “If you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above… set your minds on things that are above…” (Col 3:1-4)

 

Easter is living life on a higher level.  It is constantly lifting our minds to the mind of our Savior, giving us a power that sublimates the weaknesses of our human nature.  It is a capacity to see beyond the boredom and the routine of our ordinary lives.

 

Easter is a personal movement towards a living experience of Christ’s resurrection.  It is embracing our crosses as glorious crosses. It is granting forgiveness to those who are difficult or almost impossible to forgive.  It is loving our loved ones during moments of unlovableness.  It is not regretting the past, but growing and living for the future and the present.

 

It is the power of Christ’s resurrection which gives us the divine capacity to forgive, to look beyond the petty idiosyncrasies of our flawed relationships, to see the face of the Risen Christ in His unlovable likeness in the human flesh.

 

It is experiencing the joy of unselfishly giving oneself to a project or cause.  It is deciding to do something that has to be done, even when we do not feel like doing it.  It is willingly surrendering our power to decide to do God’s will in our lives. Easter is joyfully facing our problems and difficulties with the faith that the Lord does not give us problems and difficulties which we cannot bear.