Don’t miss out on the deep insights available through MCODE!
Today is Easter Sunday, Christians around the world will follow a tradition dating back to the first century, proclaiming:
Christ is risen.
Christ is risen indeed!
This belief is the centerpiece of our faith. In “Recovering the Strangeness of Easter,” Robert Barron, Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, acknowledges it is a strange belief, noting attempts over the last two millennia to discredit it. Yet the first century Christians staked their lives (and many died martyrs’ deaths), proclaiming the literal resurrection of Christ. Barron observes,
If the grave of a hero is customarily a place of serene contemplation, this one is so disturbing that people run from it….It is imperative that Christians recover the sheer strangeness of the Resurrection of Jesus and stand athwart all attempts to domesticate it.
For those who are tempted to explain away the resurrection as a myth, Barron reminds us of C. S. Lewis’ taunt that those making this claim do not understand myths. Unlike the stories that begin, “Once upon a time,” or more recently, “A long time ago, in galaxy far, far away,” the story of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection is rooted in a particular time and place. We know details such as His birth occurring in Nazareth, when Quirinius was governor of Syria and Augustus the Emperor of Rome.
Furthermore, the Apostle Paul used the Greek word, evangelion, or “good news” to describe the message of the resurrection. In fact, this phrase was the same one first century Greco-Romans used to proclaim Caesar’s imperial victories. It would have been nonsensical for Paul to use if he knew Christ’s resurrection was merely a myth (nor would he have left his cushy position to be abused, imprisoned and ultimately killed for a myth).
The reality of the risen Christ has many implications that Christians have been grappling with over the last 2,000 years. Barron focuses on three: First, Jesus demonstrated his preeminence over the governing authorities. In fact, the phrase Christians often use, “Jesus is Lord,” was a twist on the more common first century expression, proclaiming, “Caesar is Lord.” Second, the resurrection ratified the extraordinary claims Christ made about himself and drives Christians to make Him the unambiguous center of our lives.
Finally, the resurrection demonstrates God sacrificial love triumphs over the depths of human depravity. Barron concludes, “In the Resurrection of Jesus, God has won the victory over sin, over corruption and injustice, over death itself.”
He showed his wounds and he spoke the word Shalom, peace. On the one hand, Christians should not forget the depth of human depravity, the sin that contributed to the death of the Son of God….But on the other hand, we know that God’s love, his offer of Shalom, is greater than any possible sin of ours.
Scene from the Lord of the Rings
Life has changed dramatically since the uninvited intruder, COVID 19, burst on the scene. Its dizzying, to say the least!
I don’t know about you, but over the last two months, I’ve watched more movies than I care to count. At my daughter’s request, we recently watched the Lord of the Rings trilogy – yes, all 12 hours! It is a series our family has enjoyed over the years, and watching it again reminded me of important life lessons.
The story opens in a tranquil village. Here we first meet Frodo Baggins and Samwise Gamgee, among others. Little did they know that powerful forces were poised to upend their peaceful lives. Nor could they have guessed the desperate role they would be asked to play, in obscurity, to save civilization.
(Spoiler alert) Frodo is asked to destroy “the ring,” sought after by those who wanted to use its power to control the world. It requires making a treacherous journey; leaving everything he holds dear. Not only does Frodo agree to take on this quest, Samwise insisted on accompanying him. As they traveled, on foot, tired, hungry, and scared, Samwise laments, “We shouldn't be here at all, if we'd known more about it before we started.”
How often have I said something similar. What have I gotten myself into?
He then adds a very astute observation,
But I suppose it's often that way. The brave things in the old tales and songs, Mr. Frodo: adventures, as I used to call them. I used to think that they were things the wonderful folk of the stories went out and looked for…because they were exciting and life was a bit dull, a kind of sport….But that's not the way of it with the tales that really mattered….Folk seem to have been just landed in them, usually – their paths were laid that way, as you put it. But I expect they had lots of chances, like us, of turning back, only they didn't.
We may not be fighting dark wizards and orcs, but like Frodo and Samwise, living through the COVID 19 outbreak and quarantine, we have fallen into a story we certainly didn’t choose. Life is now different for all. Some have fallen ill to this “silent enemy,” some have lost loved ones, many have lost their jobs and wonder how they will make ends meet.
Like Frodo and Samwise, there are countless decisions we make every day on this journey. Do we give into our fears and withdraw? Or do we rise to the occasion, employing innovation and integrity?
As our society reopens, I am hopeful that this reflection and resolve continues. For the last 20 years, I have had the privilege of working with clients, as they navigate transitions in their life journeys. Together we focus on their past success stories and use them as signposts to help them write their next chapter of a tale that really matters.
Looking forward to sharing more next week.
Two seemingly unrelated events occurred over the weekend – The canonization of Mother Teresa by Pope Francis and the United States’ Labor Day holiday. Yet, are their roots and aspirations more connected than may otherwise appear?
As the Wall Street Journal pointed out, Mother Teresa is one of the most recognizable faces of the 20th century, and a Nobel Prize winner even though she never sought fame and spent her life coming alongside the dying poor in India. Pope Francis reminded us in his address, “Her mission to the urban and existential peripheries remains for us today an eloquent witness to God’s closeness to the poorest of the poor.”
The only description I could find of the scope of the Sisters of Charity she founded were Mother’s own words, published in 1994 in First Things. At that time, the Sisters of Charity included 400 foundations in more than 100 countries and nearly 5,000 sisters. In this article, she further described the scope of their work as follows,
We care for those who are often treated as outsiders in their own communities by their own neighbors—the starving, the crippled, the impoverished, and the diseased, from the old woman with a brain tumor in Calcutta to the young man with AIDS in New York City.
Some have criticized Mother Teresa for not spending more time seeking to change political and economic systems that leave so many destitute. Others criticized her for proselytizing. It is accurate to say that Mother Teresa did not devote much time to political advocacy. Yet, she made it clear to any with “ears to hear” the connection between personal faith, ideology, public policy and societies’ care for the most vulnerable. In fact, she reminded Americans,
Yours is the one great nation in all of history that was founded on the precept of equal rights and respect for all humankind, for the poorest and weakest of us, as well as the richest and strongest….Your constant efforts in fulfillment of that mission, far more than your size or your wealth or your military might, have made America an inspiration to all mankind.
As Mother further notes, we have fallen short and departed from these aspirations in countless ways – from slavery to abortion. I can only imagine how dismayed she would be today, seeing many of the trends in our country.
Yet, Labor Day is one small reminder that our aspirations live on. As a country we set aside a holiday to acknowledge that work is good and the laborer is worthy of respect. Given the turbulent times in which we live, may we take some comfort from this marker in our national life and consciousness. I think Mother Teresa would smile and say, “Happy Labor Day.”
What are you paying attention to? The night before each game, Coach Dabo Swinney, Head Coach for the Clemson Tigers’ football team, takes his team to the movies. I’m not referring to reviewing game films. No. They go to the cinema. After returning home, he holds a team meeting, drawing attention to a particular theme, lesson, line or scene to help the players rise to the challenges they’ll face in the next day’s game.