The woman who leads my Ignatian Retreat group warned us ahead of time that we may not feel very joyful on Easter. And I’ll admit it was not a very joyous time for me, though it was very meaningful. I had expected to feel more joy on Easter (despite the warning), after having walked so closely with the Story these last few weeks.
My Ignatian group met on Sunday evening, and I sat and prayed with the scripture from John about how Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and found the stone rolled away, then after running to tell some disciples, came back and stood outside the tomb weeping. Those linen clothes lying in a heap in the tomb were what spoke to me the most. Before Mary looked in the tomb and saw the angels sitting there – what must have gone through Mary and the disciples’s minds when they first saw those strips of fabric lying there?
As I imagine it, those disciples and followers of Jesus did not move from their grief to happy dancing in one stroke of the clock. I find it interesting that even though we as a church have rituals that somewhat follow the timeline of events leading up to the crucifixion, we do expect to jump straight to joy and celebration on Easter morning.
Now, I’m not really complaining, because with the wisdom of time and hindsight and the scriptures telling us the story of what the disciples learned from Jesus through the resurrection and after, we do know now what the empty tomb signifies. Or at least, we hope we have grasped it. So we can celebrate on Easter day in a way the disciples weren’t prepared to. But for me this year, I’m still moving a little slowly out of the grief of the tomb and into the joy of the new day, as I try to follow along with the Story.
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4 comments:
Some Lenten journeys last a lifetime...I think you found what you were looking for, a way to make more room in your life for God...it just so happens, you decided you wanted to keep making room.
This is a good thing, I think.
Sacrifice for sacrifice sake has little value...suffering for suffering sake is the same way.
However to understand the true sacrifice of suffering can indeed be a cherished gift...one that sustains...and nourishes.
There's no reason to rush out of "the tomb," examine it fully...take the time to explore your relationship with Christ.
It's always worth it.
Grace & Peace,
M
Yes, me too. God be with us and grant us grace to hear and see Him well.
O
::thrive
luminousmiseries
thanks for those words...i was struck by such expectations that we might have for so many around us...some fasle and heavy expectation that their mourning and grief be relieved immediately and changed to joy and smiles with the flick of a light switch...maybe not in the 'now-and-not-yet', but someday, when Jesus comes in His fullness and we in Him are full...perhaps - even then - we may need that silence of about a half-hour in heaven for our mourning to turn to dancing...
peace
Reading this now, way out past Easter, it gave me some insight perhaps into my own lethargy towards "instant celebration." In recent years I have found the anticipatory nature of advent and the darkness of lent to be rich and meaningful, but the more I dig and dwell, the more misunderstood and alone I feel in the journey...
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