Mary, the first apostle of the Resurrection, goes to the tomb. She is seeking Jesus whom she loved so dearly. The tomb is empty. She hurriedly reports back to the others. Peter and John run to the tomb.
This is the Easter story—our search for the Cosmic Risen Christ. During the Good Friday Ecumenical Prayer Walk, we asked at each station, “Lord Jesus, we are searching for you. Where are you suffering today?” Now, fully aware of the Easter event, we ask, “Lord Jesus, we are searching for you. Where are you healing those oppressed by evil?” Finding once again the Risen Christ, we quickly understand that we are the Christ bringing His healing balm to those in misery.
Where do I find the Risen Christ? I find Christ in my wife recovering from a fall. I find Him in my sons living His will in their lives. I find Christ in Pope Francis washing and kissing the feet of young male and female prisoners. I find the Risen Christ in Paul Farmer and Partners for Health. I find the Risen Christ in Margaret Trost and the What If Foundation feeding children in Haiti. I find the Risen Cosmic Christ in Bill McKibben and all those striving to preserve God’s creation from greedy destruction. I find the Risen Christ in the hungry child. I find the Risen Christ in the aged. I find the Risen Christ in those who follow the beliefs of Faux News instead of the Gospel. I find the Risen Christ in politicians who blindly further the wealth accumulation of the rich and the multinationals. I find the Cosmic risen Christ in the photograph of an egret in full mating plumage. I find the Cosmic Risen Christ in a glorious sunrise over the ocean. The list could go on. Where do you find the Risen Christ? Where do you find opportunities to bring wholeness and healing? Look for opportunities to enjoy the beauty of God’s creation.
A survivor of the holocaust who converted to Catholicism found the Risen Christ in the Statue of the Pieta at the New York World’s Fair. The message to him was “the mystery of love confronts the mystery of hate.” (http://ncronline.org/blogs/soul-seeing/good-friday-love-heals-hate).
In the days to come, we will examine the other stations on the Good Friday Walk to see where we can find the Risen Christ bringing healing and wholeness today. Since we are the Body of Christ, we have to ask, “Where am we bringing healing and hope to the suffering today?” Then we can sing, “Jesus Christ is risen today, here and now in our midst.” Alleluia!!!!!!!!!