Run to the beloved

The celebration of Easter today, in the world, may be viewed from perspectives which inquire about Christians who stand on both sides of the trouble in eastern Ukraine, who are unable to reach their “holy places” in Palestine and Jerusalem, who mourn deeply at the tragic death of their children and who gather in the tens of thousands in St Peter’s Square.

The Roman Catholic Lectionary today contains texts to proclaim the message “He is risen”. The consequence of this is part of the daily lives of Christians who try to practice the exhortation of Paul to the Colossians to “Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth” (Colossians 3:2). Friar Jude Winkler notes that the Greek word  kerygma or first teaching is applied to the passage from the Acts of the Apostles where Peter tells Cornelius, who he has been called to baptize, about the basic story of the person, Jesus. who lived, anointed by God, suffered, died and rose again to save us from our sins.The Christian is one in love with the person of Jesus. The basic message the Christian brings is that this Love is for all people and it is offered without conditions. The response to this Love is to seek to live in the service which Jesus models. The Gospel from John is deep in symbolism. When Mary Magdalene tells the Apostles of her encounter with an empty tomb, this initiates a kind of race between Peter and the “beloved disciple” to the tomb. Friar Jude comments that the person whose feet are propelled by love reaches the tomb first. He also notes that the Evangelist has love defer to authority represented by Peter who is the one who enters the tomb first. Pope Francis has expressed the need for Christians to tell the story of Jesus birth, life, healing, suffering, death and resurrection as the starting point which from people who wonder about Christian Life can begin their search.  The Christian life is in intimate relationship with the person of Jesus. The mystery of “Jesus Lives” is the daily propellant for Christians as they continue to run with joy to their Beloved.