Acts 10:34a, 37-43; Col 3:1 – 4 or 1 Cor 5:6b-8; Jn 20:1-9
“Therefore, let us celebrate the feast, not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavend bread of sincerity and truth.”
This year, I’m going to take St. Paul’s exhortation to the Corinthians to heart. It’s been a rough week here – because of a drop in enrollment , a number of teachers are being let go, and some of us will see reduced class loads. Then , over the weekend, my mom told me that my Uncle is intensive care down in North Carolina. Monday, I came in to find out that a good friend who had retired from our faculty a few years ago had lost her husband.
It would’ve been easy to get lost in self-pity, to wallow in the unfairness of it all, to rant and rage against God. I still might do that.
But not today. Today, one of my students who came to the United States a couple of years ago after the earthquake in Haiti did a presentation on the despearate poverty and violence in Haiti – but also about the beauty and glory of that land. And I’m thinking, if he can see the beauty within his time of exile, perhaps I could try and do the same in my time of uncertainty.
So I’m throwing out that yeasty mass of frustration and anger and sadness. I’m going to Trust. I’m going to kneel before that empty tomb and thank God from the depths of my heart for each and every blessing in my life – so many that I could never name or count them all. And insofar as I can with the help of God’s grace, I’ll assist those with whom I am journeying in carrying their crosses. And if I can’t do that , I’ll walk beside them in fellowship.
Time to bake a new loaf. Time to believe.
Jim Philipps (3rd millennium pilgrim)
To any and all who read this blog – be assured of my prayers for a most blessed and joyful Eastertime for you and for those whom you love.
3rdmillenniumpilgrim's Blog 