The Quiet Resurrection

You’d think God would have done a better job of announcing the Resurrection of Jesus. Here is the most important event in human history – the overcoming of sin and death, in which the richness of divine life is offered to us – and it takes place in a backwater country to a small group of ordinary people. Even then God doesn’t swamp their lives with amazing miracles, lights, glory. No, Jesus comes into their midst, at first unrecognised, reveals himself, assures them of love and forgiveness and then disappears before they realise what has really happened. One thing he does do is to tell them to go and preach this ‘good news’ to all the world. It is only afterwards reflecting on the event and telling others of it does its wonderfulness really hit them.

God is like that in our lives. We rarely have dramatic or exciting things happen to us when we pray or go to church. If we did the churches would be packed on Sundays. No, God usually comes very quietly into our lives and we usually have to reflect on what has happened before we realise its richness and meaning. I think this is because God does not want us to be in awe of but in love with God. God wants to be friends with us, not a dazzling entertainer or powerful master. To foster this friendship, we need to take time to be with God, both alone reflecting and praying, and then praying with God’s other friends in the community, that is Church. Then, as it happened to those first disciples, the sheer wonder of the Resurrection of Jesus will come into our lives.

Loving God, send your Spirit into our hearts to reveal the mystery of love at work within us. May Jesus come into the dead and dark places of our lives and bring his mystery of Resurrection. We ask this in his name, confident that you will hear us.

Sr Kym Harris osb