Perennial Resurrection
Recently, I received an update letter from a friend in the Ukraine where she describes a common greeting and response tradition that lasts for a month after Easter: “He is risen!” “He is risen indeed!”
This tidbit stayed with me because it seems that so often a great deal of personal and church preparation goes into the celebration of Resurrection Day, but then… it’s gone. Monday comes and we are back to our normal lives, our daily routines. Back to dessert, to texting, to whatever we’ve given up for a short period of time.
Recently, I received an update letter from a friend in the Ukraine where she describes a common greeting and response tradition that lasts for a month after Easter: “He is risen!” “He is risen indeed!”
This tidbit stayed with me because it seems that so often a great deal of personal and church preparation goes into the celebration of Resurrection Day, but then… it’s gone. Monday comes and we are back to our normal lives, our daily routines. Back to dessert, to texting, to whatever we’ve given up for a short period of time.
What about the reality of the Resurrection for the rest of the year? Its power to continually transform our lives? I love the idea of intentionally remembering Jesus’ resurrection with others for an entire month. How that would change me! Would my gratitude for being forgiven by and reconciled to God more easily extend to forgiving and seeking reconciliation with others? Would I better live out the reality of the Resurrection? Would I meet difficult times with the comfort of a living hope– that Christ’s resurrection assures me of my own one day?
I am reminded of the words of St. Anselm of Canterbury:
“O Christian soul, soul raised up from a grievous death, soul redeemed and delivered from a miserable slavery by the blood of God, arouse thy mind from sleep, bethink thee of thy resurrection, remember thy redemption and deliverance. Consider where and what is the strength of thy salvation, occupy thyself in meditating thereon, delight thyself in the contemplation thereof; Put away thy daintiness, force thyself, give thy mind thereto; taste of the goodness of thy Redeemer, kindle within thyself the love of thy Saviour. … Where then and what is the power and might of thy salvation? Surely it is Christ that hath raised thee up” (Anselm, Devotions, Meditation IV).
What about you? How do you remember to live out the Resurrection past Easter Sunday?
