So they went to church. . . and they waited. We have a lot of trouble waiting for things. We are generally not very patient as people We have fast food, drive up windows, and self-check out lines because we don't want to wait. It should not surprise us that waiting is the hardest part of faith. Yet waiting is an act of faith. We do not wait as the aimless whose restless hearts live in anxiety and fear. We wait upon the Lord. We know this Lord as the one who loved us that He gave His only-begotten Son who was born in our flesh and blood to suffer and die in our place upon the cross. We are not waiting for the unknown but for that which we know in the promise of Christ.
On this day the Church has historically welcomed new people to the faith through baptism and confirmation. The dark night of Holy Saturday gives way to the bright morning of Christ's resurrection and this has been a symbolic moment rich in imagery and meaning for the newly baptized and confirmed. You might say that the whole life of the baptized is a life of waiting, of joyful expectation not complete until we close our eyes this side of glory and awaken them to see Jesus face to face. I think of my Dad who we buried only a week or so ago and of the fulfillment of the baptismal promise given to him so long ago. I think of my own wait for the blest reunion with those who have gone before, who died in Christ. I think of the restless character of the soul searching for place and belonging that is not stilled or met until we rest in Christ. Yes, whether you like it or not, Christian life involves much waiting.
Easter is not a surprise ending for us but the ending we know and for which we hope. This day is sort of like the children waiting for Christmas morning to see what gifts were brought. We wait because we know there are gifts given, blessing awaiting us, and a future prepared. Such a wait is not drudgery even when it may seem long. It is how we anticipate in this life the promise of the life to come. So wait with me. . . what is to come is beyond imagination and far beyond our expectations -- what God has prepared for those who love Him. And it all starts with an empty tomb. Shhhhhhh.... Easter is coming!
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Thinking back to 9/11, when about 3000 souls perished amidst the flames and ashes of the World Trade Center, I remember driving around my Long Island community the following day, and feeling a sense of depression, melancholy, sadness, and malaise, mixed with anger. I noted similar expressions of shock and gloom on the faces of other motorists and people in the stores and around town. Drivers seemed less aggressive, even polite, an unusual situation in an area where motorists often flipped you off for making a right turn too abruptly, or honked their horns when you hesitated to go forward as a traffic light turned green. Since many, if not most people from the outlying suburbs of Long Island came from the NYC boroughs, there was a steady recognizable toughness typical of a the city attitude, and popular speech resonated with accents which spoke of impatient, abrupt, snarky and snappy dialects from Brooklyn, Queens, or the Bronx, or Staten Island. Yet, the day after 9/11, my impression was that we were all in shock, quietly trying to wrap our heads around this monumental tragedy which struck to the heart of our sense of security and safety. When we think of that Saturday following the Lord’s crucifixion, one wonders how things were on the streets and alleys of Jerusalem. I believe many people were also in dismay, shocked, angry. There must have been feelings of guilt by some, still others unfazed, while the Lord’s Apostles and followers were fearful and confused, their faith faltering as the day went on. But Easter Sunday came with the good news that the Lord had risen, that the prophecy had been fulfilled, and that the whole world would never be the same again. It was the beginning of a new day for us too, as the sun rose and the light of God’s love, mercy, and redemption shattered the world. Soli Deo Gloria
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