Once St. Paul the Apostle experienced the risen Lord, his entire life changed. From the moment of his encounter with the risen Jesus on, he was preoccupied with preaching this good news: “Resurrection, Resurrection”. These were the words that he repeated over and over again as he introduced the gift of Jesus to different peoples and communities. The season of Easter leads us to an ongoing reflection on the reality of the “Resurrection”. What is it? What does it mean? And, perhaps most personally speaking, what does it mean in my life? A few weeks ago Fr. James made a gift of two icons to our home chapel, where the priests of St. Mary’s and the Missions gather daily as a community for Evening Prayer. After I noticed that we had two nails on the wall of the chapel where something must have hung in the past, I proposed that we place something there. Fr. James returned the following day with two beautiful icons of St. Theresa of Avila and St. John of the Cross. I have read much of their writings because of my fascination with spirituality and prayer, and that is what they offer the church in spades. Each of the icons represents the saint holding a sign with a prayer composed by them. St. Theresa’s prayer reads: “Let nothing disturb you, let nothing frighten you. All things are passing, only God remains”. I have found this prayer to be so helpful to me over the years, especially in moments of frustrations and difficulty. This prayer is really a different way of saying what St. Paul spoke: “Resurrection, Resurrection”. At the end, when all is said and done, there is God. Jesus lives, and only in Him we find the fullness of life. When we place all of our daily events in the context of the message of Christ’s resurrection we will find a new vision, new hope, new life. Blessed Season of Easter to all!
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