This Lenten season, parishioners at Our Lady of Lourdes were invited to read Fr. Ron Rolheiser’s book, “The Passion and the Cross.” Fittingly, like our Holy Week journey, the book does not end with the cross, but with the resurrection – the empty tomb of Christ. Fr. Rolheiser states that in the resurrection, God has the final word – and God’s word is Victory! The resurrection marks the victory of life over death, forgiveness over sin, hope over despair, and love over hate. The resurrection has deep meaning for Christians. Rolheiser writes: “what the resurrection of Jesus promises is that things can always be new again. It’s never too late to start over. Nothing is irrevocable. No betrayal is final. No sin is unforgivable. Every form of death can be overcome. There isn’t any loss that can’t be redeemed” (TP&TC pg. 102).
As Easter was approaching this year, one image kept returning to me in prayer, in my reading and while on retreat: the outstretched hand of God. Scripture abounds with this image of the saving power of God’s hand. The psalms say that God’s right hand will save you from the torrent. In Jeremiah, Deuteronomy, and in Exodus we hear of the strong hand and outstretched arm of God - saving his people. We also see the image of God’s hand in sacred art and theology. Recall Michelangelo’s “Creation of Adam” from the Sistine Chapel. The powerful image of God’s outstretched hand giving life to Adam – giving him the spark of the divine.
The great French theologian Yves Congar likened the Son and the Spirit to the two hands of the Father working in the world. Through Christ, we are given grace. We are fed and we are healed. Through the Spirit we are given life. We are gifted and we are guided.
And, on this Easter day, we celebrate with great faith and joy that the outstretched arms of Christ on the cross gathered all of humanity to be redeemed and raised to the Father. As the readings for Easter proclaim, the resurrection of Christ held transformative power because of its truth. The disciples witnessed the risen Lord. They walked with him. They ate with him. They talked to him. They put their hands in his nail marks and in his side. And they were loved by him – the risen Lord. It is the truth of the resurrection that transformed Christ’s disciples from a cowering mess and lifted them up. This reality is captured by the powerful words spoken by Christ on Easter evening in the upper room. Peace, he says. The Hebrew
shalom better conveys the reality: all is reconciled; all is redeemed; all is well.
Fr. Rolheiser continues his reflection on the resurrection of Christ and its powerful meaning for Christians. He writes: “to believe in the resurrection of Jesus is to be comforted, comforted at a level so deep that nothing in life is ultimately a threat any longer. In the resurrection the hand of God soothes us and the voice of God assures us, frightened children that we are, that all is good, and that all will remain good forever and ever” (TP&TC pg.104).
On Holy Thursday, Deacon Winninger preached a powerful homily on John’s Gospel passage where Jesus washes the feet of his disciples. Deacon wisely noted that this story is as much about allowing God to love and serve us as it is about our call to serve others. The Lord reminds us that the two are inseparable. The essence of Christian discipleship is in allowing ourselves to be loved by God, so that we can love like God. This is perhaps the most important lesson that I have learned as a priest and a Christian – and I can tell you friends this lesson is only learned through crucible of the cross.
On this Easter day, we too are called to be witnesses to the resurrection of Christ as Peter does in today’s first reading. But, who was the first to witness the resurrection of Christ? Mary Magdalene. She is heralded as the apostle to the apostles. She was the first to witness the first fruits of Christ’s death – the resurrection. And I would dare say that Mary Magdalene was given this fitting honor because she had already grasped the outstretched hand of Jesus and was healed – even before the cross.
We have a mission too. St. Teresa of Avilla tells us that we are called to be the hands and feet of Christ. He has no hands but ours. He has no feet but ours. But, before we can take up this charge to continue Christ’s presence in the world, something prior needs to happen. Something fundamental and foundational. We must grasp the outstretched hand of Christ.
Today, here in this beautiful French church, our risen Lord extends his outstretched hand to us – his brothers and sisters. In love, he seeks to lift us from the torrent, from the pit, from our sin, from our darkness, from out wounds, from our fears, from our insecurities, and from all that is not of God. Will we grasp his outstretched hand or will we remain as we are? If we do respond with faith and grasp the mighty hand of God, we will experience new life.
This is the promise of Christ – that if we die with him, we will rise with him. Today, the hand of the risen Lord is outstretched to you and to me. I pray that we will take it and allow ourselves to be raised up where the promise of new life in Christ awaits.
Happy Easter!