The joy of Easter should remain with us beyond the Easter Triduum. In the Jubilee Year of Mercy, the Catholic pilgrim’s words should be full of the love of God, and the hope of the Resurrection each day. Words inspired by mercy, and formed in truth, nudge us toward the living God.
As a French proverb expresses so beautifully, “Dans la mesure où l’un ou l’autre vous pousse vers Dieu, il ou elle est votre ami.” Or, “Insomuch as any one pushes you nearer to God, he or she is your friend.” The powerful energy of the Resurrection is “building a new era,” forging eternal friendships.
Easter: The Mystery of the Resurrection and The Brilliance of Hope
“Beginning with the Easter Triduum as its source of light, the new age of the Resurrection fills the whole liturgical year with its brilliance … the kingdom of God enters into our time. Therefore Easter is not simply one feast among others, but the ‘Feast of feasts,’ the ‘Solemnity of solemnities,’ just as the Eucharist is the ‘Sacrament of sacraments’ (the Great Sacrament)… The mystery of the Resurrection, in which Christ crushed death, permeates with its powerful energy our old time, until all is subjected to him” (The Catechism of the Catholic Church 1168, 1169).
“The empty tomb is not a direct proof of Resurrection; the absence of Christ’s body from the tomb could be explained otherwise” (CCC 640). It is the witness of the holy women and Peter, who “saw and believed.” These witnesses personally encounter the “Risen One,” and emerge from grief into the light of hope, and into the building of a “new era begun on Easter morning” (CCC 642).
By means of a touch and the sharing of a meal, the risen Jesus establishes direct contact with his disciples, and reveals himself to those who were still in the depths of grief and unbelief (CCC 645).
Emergence: The Christian Life is a Joyful Witness to God’s Word
Consider what it is to “emerge,” and the word “emergence.” Emergence is defined as “the process of becoming visible after being concealed.” Its Latin root, emergere, is to “arise, to bring to light.” The etymology of words is a curious thing; so is the Resurrection. We should be more curious about the good things of God.
For the Christian, “emergence” is a word which might provoke some penitential pondering; especially of conscience, and its formation. To “bring to light” the joy of Christian living is to become visible in witness to the joy of the Gospel, in a life hidden with Christ.
It is the utterance of the Christian heart to desire to awaken others to the light of Christ, in each moment. “For freedom Christ set us free; so stand firm and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery” (Galatians 5:1). As Christians, we enjoy the “freedom,” striving to avoid the slavery of sin, by repenting and rejoicing because God has forgiven us.
Repent and Rejoice!
It is a gift of God to desire to repent of sin. We encounter forgiveness in the darkness of the tomb (death of the “old self”) and the hope of the Resurrection (the “new self,” new life in Christ). The ineffable and mysterious action of God in the soul produces true wisdom; sacred scripture tells us that the Spirit “scrutinizes everything.”
“Think of what is above, not of what is on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:2-3). Emerging from the figurative tomb, with the “mind of Christ,” we continue as pilgrims of mercy—with words and deeds that blossom in season.
As spring bulbs don’t send forth their tender shoots and bloom overnight, so too, we are reminded that denouncing vice, and growing in virtue is a process— and, that “becoming Christ” is a journey, a pilgrimage. We must practice virtue, and nurture new life with sacramental grace:
“Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another; as the Lord has forgiven you, so must you also do. And over all these, put on love, that is the bond of perfection” (Colossians 3:12-14).
To “put on love” is to respond to the invitation of Jesus, to receive his forgiveness freely offered—to overcome the afflictions or sufferings, the habits and dispositions, which are obstacles to union with God. Saint Teresa of Avila understood, “The more that love and humility grow, the greater the fragrance of these flowers of virtues give off, both for oneself and for others.”
It is a struggle to overcome spiritual ignorance, and our temptation to pride. When it comes to faith, it’s not as easy as a “Google” search nor is it simply the acquisition of knowledge or the exercise of the intellect—true Christian piety demands more. It requires obedience. It requires that the “natural” self be transformed by love, so as to know what is “freely given by God” and to know the wisdom of “spiritual realities in spiritual terms.”
“Rejoice in the Lord always. I shall say it again: rejoice! Your kindness should be known to all. The Lord is near” (Philippians 4:4).
The Wisdom of Simplicity or as Great-Grandma Said, “Love God!”
In the booklet Preparation for Total Consecration according to St. Louis Marie de Monfort, there are spiritual practices that help the faithful evaluate the spiritual reality. We know that we will encounter the cross, and not just the words that describe Christ crucified, or Christ risen.
“Yet, if you really want to understand the Words of Christ, you must try to pattern your whole life on His.
What good is it to be able to explain the doctrine of the blessed Trinity if you displease the Blessed Trinity by your lack of humility? It is a good life that makes you pleasing to God, not high-sounding words and clever expressions. It is better to feel contrition for your sins than to know how to define it. What good is it to know the entire Bible by heart and to learn the saying of all the philosophers if you live without grace and the love of God?
Vanity of vanities, and all is vanity, unless you serve God and love Him with your whole heart. (Eccles. 1:2). The greatest wisdom of all is to seek the kingdom of heaven by despising the things of this world”(68).
Or, as my Croatian great-grandmother would say, “ljubav Bože.” “Love God,” was her wisdom. It was the simple advice of an elderly peasant woman with a kerchief on her head, who had herded sheep as a child in a small Croatian town, before living in the United States. She had no formal education, and used plain language to speak of God. She had a simple way to be holy. She would make you a meal—and as many of Slavic heritage know, the celebration of food and gathering at the table is blessed hospitality; any material impoverishment was enriched by the blessing of God. A generous hospitality multiplied good will, glorifying God.
There are occasions, however, where spiritual realities are misunderstood by human vanity, because it does not pertain to the Spirit of God. It leaves a world hungry for truth, seducing with the “fruitless works of darkness,” and empty words.
“Now the natural person does not accept what pertains to the Spirit of God, for to him it is foolishness, and he cannot understand it, because it is judged spiritually” (1 Corinthians 2:14).
Our words have power, in that they communicate not only an earthly or temporal knowledge, but a deeper reality of our human existence, to know and to love God.
Divine Silence in “The Wordy World”
Henri J.M. Nouwen wrote about “Our Wordy World,” in The Way of the Heart, Connecting with God Through Prayer, Wisdom, and Silence. He suggested that words have lost their creative power.
“The result of this is that the main function of the word, which is communication, is no longer realized. The word no longer communicates, no longer fosters communion, no longer creates community, and therefore no longer gives life. The word no longer offers trustworthy ground on which people can meet each other and build society” (39).
Nouwen writes of words as becoming an obstacle in theological education, because a “heightened verbal ability, which enables us to make many distinctions, has sometimes become a poor substitute for a single-minded commitment to the Word who is life.” He addresses the need for distinctions in theological work, but that “when our words are no longer a reflection of the divine Word in and through whom the world has been created and redeemed, they lose their grounding,” becoming “seductive” and “misleading” (40).
In the present educational cultural milieu, there is a preference for some to encamp around words, subvert their meaning, and disable authentic dialogue. To reclaim the words which foster communion, authentic communication and learning, and thereby, true understanding, it might be beneficial to begin with the restoration of the authentic meaning of words, and the full expression of Christian philosophy and theology.
The Gift of Divine Silence: The Wisdom of the Desert Fathers
Nouwen considered the Desert Fathers’ practice; that silence should precede words.
Peregrinatcio est tacere. “To be silent keeps us pilgrims.” Nouwen identifies three aspects of their wisdom: 1.) Silence makes us pilgrims 2.) Silence guards the fire within, and 3.) Silence teaches us to speak.
“By entering into the Egyptian desert, the monks wanted to participate in the divine silence. By speaking out of this silence to the needs of their people, they sought to participate in the creative and re-creative power of the divine Word.
Words can only create communion and thus new life when they embody the silence from which they emerge (italics mine). As soon as we begin to take hold of each other by our words, and use words to defend ourselves or offend others, the word no longer speaks of silence. But when the word calls forth the healing and restoring stillness of its own silence, few words are needed: much can be said without much being spoken.
Thus silence is the mystery of the future world. It keeps us pilgrims and prevents us from becoming entangled in the cares of this age. It guards the fire of the Holy Spirit who dwells within us. It allows us to speak a word that participates in the creative and re-creative power of God’s own word” (50).
The Desert Fathers provide a model for silence as effective communication, and spiritual discernment.
When we speak, we should rejoice with the joy-filled song of a “new heart” (Ezekiel 36: 26), assured of new life. “The desert and parched land will exult; the steppe will rejoice and bloom. They will bloom with abundant flowers, and rejoice with joyful song …” (Isaiah 35: 1-3). They will meet with joy and gladness, sorrow and mourning will flee” (Isaiah 35:10).
St. Teresa of Avila keeps us mindful of our mission as Catholics, who testify to the Risen Christ and the victory of the Holy Cross: “God’s words cannot fail.”
