Resurrection...!!!
"It was almost a decade later that I got an intimation of what it could be, this mystery of resurrection. Once again I was in the class, now studying for a Ph.D. In scripture. We were examining the resurrection texts and had been assigned to write a three-page paper explaining resurrection. I tried. When the wastebasket was full, I gave up and went for a walk in the nearby park. I went prepared to stay the afternoon; I brought a blanket, water, a book of poetry and my journal, dried apples, and music to take me completely away from the realms of academia. I was more attuned to a flight of fancy. I got settled in my favorite spot, one that gave me grand view of the ocean and the fog coming in.
No sooner Mozart started to fill the air than a bus load of young boys on a field trip interrupted my fantasy afternoon. They poured out of the bus, equipped with packs, frisbees, and loud voices. I rolled over on my stomach and surveyed them as I tried to decide whether to move another spot. But there was something about them that intrigued me. They were all between the ages of six and twelve. They were sharing food out of their sacks. Most intriguing of all, each one had a helium-filled balloon on a large string tied to his wrist.
They played and I drifted, watching one boy in particular, about seven may be. He was intent on everything he did. He unwrapped his brownie carefully, and he re-tied his shoelaces. In the midst of such maneuver the string slipped from his wrist and the balloon headed for the skies. The boy stood there, a picture of absolute loss and dismay, as he watched his treasure slipped away. His fist bunched up and his face contorted. He was just about let out a good cry when suddenly another boy noticed the soaring balloon. He shouted: " Hey guys! Look what Joshua just found out! They are better if you let them go." In a matter of seconds forty to fifty brightly colored helium-filled balloons were all lofting away with many heads upturned, intent on watching them go. Joshua's face gone from dismay to near ecstasy. I was stunned.
It was only a moment, but that vision has stayed with me ever since. It was the essence of resurrection. What appeared to be disastrous, without hope, utter loss and desolation for one person was redeemed by another. It was made into something unbelievably holy and delightful by those who saw the pain and let go of something precious themselves, urging all the others to share that gift. And the boy's name was Joshua. Too uncanny. I knew in a flash of balloon soaring away and a sea of bright faces, what was possible anywhere, anytime, for anyone who has eyes to see, quick reflexes, and the freedom to risk everything so another might have life. Rising helium- balloons, rising hopes, and raised faces all were hints of Jesus' being raised from the dead.
I am forever grateful to that unnamed child who, in a moment of tender regard, set his friend free and taught me what rising from the dead might mean. This is our vocation. This is our command in listening to the word of the Lord. This is transfiguration . This is what binds us to the earth and to the kingdom of God. We have called to live in this sacred mystery of binding and recreating all the earth to God. It is our glory and our salvation."
'Lent, The Sunday Readings' by Megan McKenna.
No sooner Mozart started to fill the air than a bus load of young boys on a field trip interrupted my fantasy afternoon. They poured out of the bus, equipped with packs, frisbees, and loud voices. I rolled over on my stomach and surveyed them as I tried to decide whether to move another spot. But there was something about them that intrigued me. They were all between the ages of six and twelve. They were sharing food out of their sacks. Most intriguing of all, each one had a helium-filled balloon on a large string tied to his wrist.
They played and I drifted, watching one boy in particular, about seven may be. He was intent on everything he did. He unwrapped his brownie carefully, and he re-tied his shoelaces. In the midst of such maneuver the string slipped from his wrist and the balloon headed for the skies. The boy stood there, a picture of absolute loss and dismay, as he watched his treasure slipped away. His fist bunched up and his face contorted. He was just about let out a good cry when suddenly another boy noticed the soaring balloon. He shouted: " Hey guys! Look what Joshua just found out! They are better if you let them go." In a matter of seconds forty to fifty brightly colored helium-filled balloons were all lofting away with many heads upturned, intent on watching them go. Joshua's face gone from dismay to near ecstasy. I was stunned.
It was only a moment, but that vision has stayed with me ever since. It was the essence of resurrection. What appeared to be disastrous, without hope, utter loss and desolation for one person was redeemed by another. It was made into something unbelievably holy and delightful by those who saw the pain and let go of something precious themselves, urging all the others to share that gift. And the boy's name was Joshua. Too uncanny. I knew in a flash of balloon soaring away and a sea of bright faces, what was possible anywhere, anytime, for anyone who has eyes to see, quick reflexes, and the freedom to risk everything so another might have life. Rising helium- balloons, rising hopes, and raised faces all were hints of Jesus' being raised from the dead.
I am forever grateful to that unnamed child who, in a moment of tender regard, set his friend free and taught me what rising from the dead might mean. This is our vocation. This is our command in listening to the word of the Lord. This is transfiguration . This is what binds us to the earth and to the kingdom of God. We have called to live in this sacred mystery of binding and recreating all the earth to God. It is our glory and our salvation."
'Lent, The Sunday Readings' by Megan McKenna.
