During the Season of Easter, we are reminded again and again of the joy surrounding the witnesses to Jesus’ resurrection. Before that joy is fully realized, they are stuck in their experience of grief. The witnesses don’t always hear Jesus’ voice as his voice. They don’t recognize Jesus but think him an apparition. When they move through their grief into believing and seeing through their hearts and eyes – they are filled with unending joy. The energy of their joy pours through the pages of scripture and becomes our own.
The Easter story I one of radical love that we are called to proclaim as witnesses today. We each bear our grief, our struggles and our own mistakes. We are called to examine our hearts and lives and move into a place of forgiveness. We are called to turn toward the risen Christ with open arms and open spirits, welcoming the good news! Christ is alive. Christ is risen.