Resurrection is Now: ruminations of a retired priest
Now is the moment of resurrection. Resurrection is not put off for some distant utopian destination. Now is the moment of being fully human and fully divine. This is the wonder of the Easter story.
In his book “Befriending Our Desires,” the Jesuit priest Philip Sheldrake, S.J. writes, “Ecstasy is a moment in which some otherwise distant reality is glimpsed as here and now and at one with oneself.”* After hearing the angel’s announcement that Jesus is not in the tomb, “he has been raised,” “full of “fear and joy” Mary Magdalene and the other Mary have a personal encounter with Jesus, a “glimpse of this distant reality,” right here and right now. (see Matthew’s resurrection text below)
I have never seen an angel nor have I heard a booming voice from heaven. In fact, I still am not sure how to think about Jesus. But once in my prayers I had an experience of Jesus that was more real than anything I have ever seen with my eyes or touched with my hands. In my heart of hearts I heard Jesus say, “Follow me.” And I stepped behind him. He said, “Come closer.” And I did. And he said, “Closer.” And I answered, “If I come any closer I will step on your heels.” And he said “Closer.” And I stepped into him and vanished, except I wasn’t gone. What was gone was my sense of separation. I couldn’t see him anymore. I couldn’t sense where I ended and he began. I just knew that Jesus was closer to me than my own breath and that I was so close to him that there was nothing between us. I believe this was an “ecstatic glimpse of this otherwise distant reality.”
I share this story because many of you also have stories — stories of how you have been touched by the Mystery that some call God — and unless we tell our stories we are not sharing the good news that something extraordinary and ecstatic, as revealed in the life, ministry and death of Jesus, is available for all of us to experience. The “otherwise distant reality (of the mystery of Divine Presence) is here and now and at one…” with our ordinary fleshy hearts.
Jesus did not come to bulldoze the Roman Empire and bury the religious officials in order to institutionalize some future utopian dream. He came to reveal to all of humankind that there is no separation between humanity and divinity. The life, ministry and death of Jesus is a flesh and bones glimpse of this “otherwise distant reality.”
Afraid their positions of power and control will be seized and swept away by the unorthodox protester Jesus and anyone who dares to emulate him, the political and religious operatives of the day are angry and plot to kill Jesus for daring to claim he is the son of God. Fearing things will be worse for them if the folks in authority are angry and agitated, the crowds of ordinary folk forget what they know to be true about Jesus and fall in line behind the malevolent officials. Blinded by fear the mixed crowd conspires to crucify Jesus.
Has anything changed in the past 2000 years? I dare say, no.
Here is the thing. Even death or the threat of death cannot erase the “otherwise distant reality” that humanity and divinity are one, right here and right now.
On Easter morning we join Mary Magdalene and the other Mary pondering Ezekiel’s words, “… A new heart I will give you, and a new spirit I will put within you; and I will remove from your body the heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh…” (Ezekiel 36.26) This is “the otherwise distant reality” of resurrection life. It is not put off for some future utopian destination. Resurrection happens every time we choose to listen to the angel’s words; to live without fear and put our faith in Jesus’ message that there is no separation between humanity and divinity.
Now is the moment of resurrection. Resurrection is not put off for some distant utopian destination. Now is the moment of being fully human and fully divine. This is the wonder of the Easter story; nothing, not even death, can separate us from the mysterious, ecstatic presence of God with us.
- Sheldrake, Philip, S.J. Befriending Our Desires. (Liturgical Press, Collegeville, Minnesota, 2016). p85.
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Matthew 28:1–10 After the sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. And suddenly there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord, descending from heaven, came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. For fear of him the guards shook and became like dead men. But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid; I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for he has been raised, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples, ‘He has been raised from the dead, and indeed he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him.’ This is my message for you.” So they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came to him, took hold of his feet, and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”
