Easter 2014 - HE IS RISEN!

Happy Easter, lay apostles! My Lenten journey brought peace and patience . . . but it doesn't stop here. I intend to continue my journey with the Risen Jesus now. If it's even possible, I fall more in love with Him every day. The more I trust Him, the more I feel His guidance and love. This is a day to rejoice, my friends! But don't forget His Passion in every day crosses we bear. Remember, our physical death on earth is our first day we will see Our Sweet Jesus!

In todays Gospel (John 20:1-9), I can imagine the confusion of the disciples, not yet grasping the Resurrection:

On the first day of the week, Mary of Magdala came to the tomb early in the morning, while it was still dark,  and saw the stone removed from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter  and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them,  “They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we don’t know where they put him.” So Peter and the other disciple went out and came to the tomb. They both ran, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter  and arrived at the tomb first;  he bent down and saw the burial cloths there, but did not go in.
When Simon Peter arrived after him, he went into the tomb and saw the burial cloths there, 
and the cloth that had covered his head,  not with the burial cloths but rolled up in a separate place. Then the other disciple also went in, the one who had arrived at the tomb first, and he saw and believed. For they did not yet understand the Scripture that he had to rise from the dead.

In Anne a lay apostle's book Climbing the Mountain, she describes one of her experiences of heaven, perfect for this Easter Sunday:

"We went through heaven via the same route. I felt joy and freedom. The greatest joy is asking Jesus questions. We turned right sooner than the Passion and I saw yet another vast structure. Jesus told me that this was the house of the Resurrection. He asked me to describe what I saw.

I saw millions of souls in rapture. They were riveted to the raised area in the front. I saw Jesus there. He looked similar to the Divine Mercy image only real. His hair was dark brown, it seemed to me. He was beautiful. He was love. All souls looked on Him and I understood that they had completed the study of the Passion. These souls were enraptured. There was another area and I asked Jesus what was there. He explained that His tomb was there. As I understand it, you can revisit the whole experience. In looking at these souls I was struck that they were in complete communion with Jesus. They were in Easter Sunday joy. It also ran through my head that some of them were there for millions of years. That was the longest time I could humanly attach to it. They were not bored. They were in ecstasy. The term millions of years means nothing, of course. It’s just my way of saying a really long time.
Jesus said, “Anne, this is important. These souls have entered into the mystery of the Resurrection. The greatest understanding of man on earth cannot compare to the smallest kernel of understanding in heaven. With understanding comes joy and wonder and reverence. It is for this reason souls gaze so long upon the Risen Christ.  I make all of this available in heaven and souls come here often. Souls are welcome to rest in any of the heavenly mysteries. All is understood here. All is accepted. All is just. Souls feel only peace.”"

Enjoy your day today, lay apostles. Know Our Lord and Savior died so we could live. Work as hard for Him as He did for us. He is worth it all!

Thank you, Lord, for sacrificing so much for me (and all Your Children). Help me to stay in the Lenten frame of mind always.

God bless,
Bonnie

Holy Saturday

Today is a day of waiting . . . waiting for our Risen Christ. Waiting for a new season of hope. We are an Easter people, and tomorrow is a grand celebration. May you all have a holy and blessed Easter.   

Todays Gospel (Luke 24:1-12) shows even those closest to Christ still had some doubt:

At daybreak on the first day of the week  the women who had come from Galilee with Jesus  took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb; but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were puzzling over this, behold, two men in dazzling garments appeared to them. They were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground.  They said to them, “Why do you seek the living one among the dead? He is not here, but he has been raised. Remember what he said to you while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners and be crucified, and rise on the third day.” And they remembered his words. Then they returned from the tomb and announced all these things to the eleven and to all the others. The women were Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and Mary the mother of James; the others who accompanied them also told this to the apostles, but their story seemed like nonsense and they did not believe them. But Peter got up and ran to the tomb, bent down, and saw the burial cloths alone; then he went home amazed at what had happened.

In Anne a lay apostle's book Serving in Clarity, she suggests we must seek to understand:

"With obedience comes humility and with humility comes obedience. You might say one feeds the other. Again, this does not mean we cannot question decisions or requests. It is normal to seek clarity when we do not understand. But we must do so respectfully, mindful of the presence of God in others and careful not to influence others to doubt. Those who challenge in arrogance know what I am saying and those whose spirit is false and duplicitous are known to God. How often the enemy speaks with pretend innocence and with no intention of accepting God’s clarity. How often the enemy sets up a holy man for ambush. The enemy thinks he is very clever indeed but God reads souls, my friends. He knows what is in our hearts. Now, if we are quite certain that a given human authority claiming to represent the Church has it wrong, clearly we have a dilemma and because we are dealing with humanity this can happen. In such times we must be very prayerful, saying, “Jesus, surely You are aware that You have a problem here.” We must speak our conscience honestly, respectfully and privately to the authority in question and then leave the Lord to get on with His job, continuing on our walk to personal holiness via the path of obedience. Spiritual direction in these situations is invaluable." 

Lay apostles, think about the apostles and followers of Jesus today and what they must have been experiencing finding the tomb empty.  Celebrate tomorrow as they did when Jesus appeared to them. 

Thank you, Lord, for giving me hope and faith. Tomorrow will truly be a celebration!

God bless and Happy Easter!

Bonnie