Live as Resurrected People

By Sister Julie Myers, OSF

Christian people throughout the world have just spent 40 days fasting, praying, and giving alms, and from there entered into the journey of Holy Week.  Every ending has a new beginning….and hopefully the ending of our Lenten experience brought us to our own Resurrection.

I serve on the liturgical team for my Motherhouse Chapel.  This ministry is a great privilege as it allows me to enter into the liturgical events in a whole different way and, certainly, with deeper meaning.  The services for Holy Week invite the worshipper into Jesus’ journey through Jerusalem and, if you have ever been to our Queen of Peace Chapel, you can appreciate that the planning and preparation for each event is very challenging and requires much spiritual, mental and physical energy.

During our Good Friday service, we provide an opportunity for the Sisters and guests to venerate the cross.  The cross used in our chapel is hand-made by two of our Sisters—they used tree branches from the woods on our campus.  I had the honor of holding the cross during veneration as well as carrying it to each person unable to walk in the procession.  This is a very humbling opportunity—not only holding the cross which is so symbolic of the wood that held our Lord—but to stand in witness to the love and compassion each person embraces the cross with.

As I stood in place holding this heavy wood, I was so stirred with the fact that Jesus did not remain on the cross!  Christ was not found in the tomb when they rolled the stone away!  And then a question echoed up from within my very being:  “does my life reflect a resurrected Christ or do I live as though Jesus remained on the cross?”   Wow, what a potent question to ponder—and what a powerful answer to live in my daily life!  Easter Sunday explodes with joy for the cold, stony tomb was found empty.  Jesus’ resurrection is proof that evil does not have the last word.

So when the Easter eggs and candy are all gone, don’t enter back into what was—falling into old routines and bad habits.  Let Easter be a great reminder that our beloved Jesus did not remain on the cross or in the grave.  Christ has risen and calls each of us to live anew, alive with his power and love.  Let’s go make a difference in what we do every day because of who we are as resurrected people.