April 5, 2010
Monday within the Octave of Easter
You who are Israelites, hear these words. Jesus the Nazorean was a man commended to you by God with mighty deeds, wonders, and signs, which God worked through him in your midst, as you yourselves know. This man, delivered up by the set plan and foreknowledge of God, you killed, using lawless men to crucify him. But God raised him up, releasing him from the throes of death, because it was impossible for him to be held by it. Acts 2:22-24
Then they went away quickly from the tomb, fearful yet overjoyed, and ran to announce this to his disciples. And behold, Jesus met them on their way and greeted them. They approached, embraced his feet, and did him homage. Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid. Go tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me." Matthew 28:8-10
Piety
Dear Lord, the women who saw the angel at the empty tomb came away with awe and joy. Yet, at the same time, they experienced fear. I have felt this myself today. I am filled with joy during these Easter days, but I still feel fear, apprehension, and distance. O Lord, I wonder if I would recognize you as did Mary Magdalene, the disciples, and the travelers to Emmaus. Is my heart able to recognize you? Have I really given you all my attention while you spoke with me during the years? Do I have eyes that can see and ear that can hear? Please Lord, do not pass me by, do not ignore me. Show me your loving face and let me hear your consoling voice; all will be different. Do not let me be so busy with the affairs of the world that I do not even notice that something is happening that is really real!
Come, Lord, show me your face and lead me always closer to you. Amen.
(“Monday, April 16” by Henri J. M. Nouwen in A Cry for Mercy: Prayers from the Genesee, p.72. Note: This was the prayer for Monday after Easter in 1979 when this book was written.)
Study
How will Jesus find you today? Will you be running away from the tomb or embracing His feet?
Is it any wonder why the people would run from what they did not understand? Today, we witness miracles of modern medicine. Patients with HIV live long lives. Premature babies can survive birth dates which would have been unthinkable. Cancer patients live another day. Research and science may not help us beat death or conquer death but we can certainly cheat death from taking people too soon.
Yet death could not hold Jesus. He tried to give his family and friends a sign – even multiple signs of when he brought Lazarus, the young girl and others back from the dead. Yet the people still had fear coursing through their veins. No matter how many times Jesus told them to not be afraid, fear was a natural reaction to what they did not understand.
These prayers that I have been reading and sharing from Henri Nouwen’s second trip to the Trappist monastery in the Genessee Valley of upstate New York strike me very strongly. Nouwen taught theology and spirituality for years and then concluded his servant leadership ministering to people who are handicapped at the L’Arche Community in Toronto. Yet throughout such a life of piety, study and action – a life and work which has inspired countless pilgrims – he had the same worries, insecurities and fears that we do. He had the same worries, insecurities and fears that the disciples did.
All of this is so incomprehensible. Death could not hold Jesus and death can not catch God or the Holy Spirit. We spend our lives in fear, running from death and running from Jesus and his commands to us. Maybe we should stop running long enough to hear what he has to say to us.
Action
Go tell! Who will you tell?
Go to Galilee! Where will you bring the message?
See me! When do you encounter Christ?
Do not be afraid! What will you say?
