By Bishop Robert W. McElroy
This Easter will be unlike any other in our lives and in our world.
We stand in a moment filled with fear, in which the shadows of darkness, isolation and illness surround us.
But we stand also in a moment of light and solidarity. The bonds of family have taken on new depth and meaning in our estrangement from our normal social interactions.
Compassion shared in common care for the vulnerable witnesses with new intensity to the beauty of the human spirit that lies within each one of us. The kindnesses that we encounter every day have a new richness because we are recognizing the power of goodness precisely in a time of hardship.
And in this moment, the feast of Easter takes on a whole new meaning. For the victory of Christ over death itself points to the power and love of the God who has formed us in the first moment in our mother’s womb and calls us to ultimately embrace the Risen Lord in the Kingdom of Heaven.
In these days, drawn to a perspective which looks beyond the momentary lures of pleasure and self-seeking that dominate so much of our lives, we perceive more fully that each of us has a mission and purpose in this world that goes beyond ourselves and calls us to ennoble the earth with grace and hope.
The Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ on Easter Day is the ultimate revelation of hope for our world, a hope that is not transitory or superficial, but rather a hope that faces suffering and sadness forthrightly and recognizes that it is in our very times of trial we encounter most fully the God who suffered for us on the cross and stands triumphant over the grave.
I pray that in this Easter season especially the Lord may reveal His risen presence in your life and the glory that is our ultimate destiny as believers and as a world.
