Monday, April 5, 2010

The Easter Within


After celebrating Easter yesterday, I've been reflecting on its meaning. There is a line from a Gerard Manley Hopkins poem that goes, "Let him Easter in us." This points to the inner reality of the possibility of new life. There are three dimensions of Easter/resurrection: past event, present possibility and future hope.

I fear that resurrection as present possibility gets eclipsed by the other two dimensions. Yet, the present experience of new life is what Easter is really about. We have no control over the past and little control over the future. The present moment is all we possess.

So how do we experience the Easter within? One way is to connect with the Creator and Source of life. Spirituality is the word we use for this life-giving connection. The immediate experience of the Divine and Holy is the goal of spirituality. When we connect with God we find our inner life nourished and renewed. We also experience love and acceptance, hope and joy, forgiveness and freedom.

The Easter experience is not meant to be confined to a single day a year. A hymn I sang in church yesterday expresses this idea beautifully, "Every day to us is Easter with its resurrection song." Let him Easter in us!

1 comment:

  1. Let Christ Easter in us! This is an excellent statement of Faith with which we can begin every day. We are affirming that Christ is able to do much more with our day than we could ever do... and thus, our day begins clean and free from any yesterday carry-over.

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