Easter Sunday
Mark 16: 1-18
And when the
Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought
spices, so that they might go and anoint Him. And very early on the first day
of the week, they went to the tomb just as the sun was rising. And they said to
one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the door of the tomb?”
And looking up, they saw that the stone was rolled back—and it was very
large. And they went into the tomb. There they saw a young man sitting on the
right side, clad in a white robe; and they were beside themselves with
amazement. And he said to them, “Do not be startled; you seek Jesus of Nazareth
the Crucified One. He is risen; He is not here; see, there is the place where
they laid Him [his
body]. But go, and say to his disciples and Peter “He
will lead you to Galilee. There you will see Him as He promised you.”
And
they went out and fled from the tomb in great haste, for trembling and
astonishment had come upon them; and being awestruck, they were unable to say
anything to anyone about what they had experienced.
When He had risen early on the first day of the week, He appeared first
to Mary Magdalene from whom He had driven out seven demons. And she went and
told those who had walked with Him, as they mourned and wept. But when they
heard that He was alive and had been seen by her, their hearts could not grasp
it.
After this He appeared in another form to two of them on the way as they
were walking over the fields. And they went back and told the rest, but they
could not open their hearts to their words either.
Afterwards He appeared to the eleven themselves as they were celebrating
the meal. He reproached them for their lack of openness and for their hardness
of heart, because they had not wanted to believe those who had seen Him, the
Risen One.
And He said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the new message
from the realm of the angels to the whole of creation. Whoever unites his heart
with it [believes] and is immersed in me
[baptized] will attain the salvation. But whoever closes himself against it does not let the power of selflessness into his
heart [does not let the power of My Self into his heart] will meet his downfall. And spiritual powers [these signs] will stand by those who unite themselves with it
and will attend their path [believe]: Through the power of my being [in my name] they will drive out demons; they will speak a new
language; serpents they will make upright, and poisons they are given to drink
will not harm them. They will lay their hands on the sick, and give healing
forces to them.
Easter
Sunday
April 20,
2014
Mark 16;
1-18
Today the
world begins anew. The old ways have died. Some of them may even have been
beloved, and we still grieve their passing. Yet the new ways are rising. We may
not yet be able to see where they are leading. At first, in the brightness of dawn, their
forms are difficult to make out; for at dawn, a path is often covered in mist,
still partially hidden in darkness. But over time the new path will reveal itself;
the goal will appear more and more distinct, more and more real. And with
courage and joy we will step forth on the journey, the journey towards our true
humanity.
For what
Christ has given to us this day is—ourselves. He has given us back the
possibility to become what the Father intended us to be: designed in His image,
according to His beauteous likeness. Now, over lifetimes we can walk the path
toward the goal of our true being. Today we can begin again. In
the words of the poet:
The
red dawn now is rearranging the earth
 |
| Grunewald |
Thought by thought
Beauty by beauty
Each
sunrise a link in the ladder
Thought by thought
Beauty by beauty
The
ladder the backbone
Of
shimmering deity
Thought by thought
Beauty by beauty
Child
stirring in the web of your mother
Do
not be afraid
Old
man turning to walk through the door
Do
not be afraid[1]
