Sitting in church this morning with my family it finally struck me that Lent is over. Although Brandi and I went to a beautiful celebration of the Easter Vigil last night, it wasn't until all four of us were together that I began to experience the real joy of Easter. That is only fitting, since so much of what I have learned about myself, my faith and my God this Lent has been through my family.
It seems that much of my prayer and reflection throughout the Triduum focused on the relationships that Jesus had with his friends and family. This year I had an acute awareness of what their pain, confusion, fear and helplessness may have been as they witnessed the horror of Jesus' murder. One of the many lessons of Easter, however, is that these same people also experienced unexpected and unexplainable consolation, comfort, peace and joy. These relationships between Jesus and his friends were foundational not only for the early Church, but provide valuable insight for us today.
We are communal beings and we need the support and friendship of one another to fully experience the Resurrection. In the coming days we will again hear the post-Resurrection stories of Jesus' various appearances to his disciples. In each of these episodes Jesus is revealed to the community as it is gathered together, whether it be a community of only two on the road to Emmaus, or to his gathered friends in the Upper Room.
More than ever, this Easter for me has been about community. I have experienced the Risen Christ this entire Lent through my wife, children, friends, family, students, the Ignatian Associates community and complete strangers. To all of you I owe a debt of thanks for your prayers and support, your kind words and your questions, your inspiration to me through the example of your own deep and abiding faith. In you I have seen the best of what humanity has to offer as it responds in loving kindness to the call of the Creator.
To my Christian friends I offer a prayer of thanksgiving for each of you and I pray that the story of the Resurrection can inspire each of us to see the world through eyes of hope and peace. To my Muslim friends in cyberspace, I offer a prayer of thanksgiving for your fortitude and unrelenting faith in Allah which have inspired this remarkable experience these past six and a half weeks. And for all of us, I pray for an understanding that will lead beyond mere tolerance and toward a compassion that, rooted only in God, will lead us all to a lasting peace.
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