LET'S PARTY - EVENTUALLY
Author: Fr. Michael Byron April 16, 2022
There was no party at the empty
tomb in the garden where Jesus was buried. No balloons, no decorations, no dancing, no testimonial speeches of congratulations,
no greeting cards, and no festive meal to celebrate. That was because nobody expected this. There was no time to relish the event with the
chocolate candy or the Peeps (thank God!) or sweet pastries, or champagne
toasts. That was because nobody could
yet figure out what in the world was going on – into what mystery were they
being drawn, or even whether this latest development in the Jesus story was a good thing at all. Was this the beginning of
a completely new kind of life and glorious promise? Or was it the next chapter in the horror
story of the week that would not end? So
there was no party, because there was no explanation. The gospel accounts of Easter do not use
words like celebration or laughter or even relief. Instead, they testify to fear, confusion,
doubt, division, debate.
All anybody really knew is that
the world stood at a precipice, a tipping point right there and then, and each
of their individual lives and futures stood with it. So what was “it”? What is “it”? And what was anybody supposed to do about it,
then or now?
One thing was certain on Easter morning: the proper response to the empty tomb was not
to throw a party – not yet. In fact, the
first witnesses ran away. In at least a
couple of the gospels, they are told to go away, to share what little
they knew with their companions, and to await the encounter with this
newly-raised savior. The savior in all of the places where he now is, how he now is, as he now is. There
and then will be the time for the parties – where faith is shared, the Holy
Spirit is poured out as a heavenly gift. Where miracles will occur and preaching will win over all those who
sincerely seek God. Where hospitality
and charity begin to defeat violence and isolation, where there’s truly reason
for confident celebration because resurrection is something truly to be
experienced by the communities and in them, here and now. And so we mark this calendar, this Easter
night (morning), of the year 2022 not only with solemn remembrance and story-telling,
but also by recognizing and responding to all the amazing assurances and the sturdy
hopes – yes even in 2022, maybe especially now more than ever. We will party because we are the people who
can be confronted with an empty tomb and a painful, powerful, divine mystery,
and begin to truly understand what has happened in Jesus’ defeat of death and
the world’s evil places. The world is turning
now inexorably toward the light. Let us
pray gratefully on this Holy Night (Day) and then let’s party. And may both of those things keep us moving
outward to share our Easter with those who are still waiting for it.
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