Sunday Homily, April 5, 2015, Easter, B
Readings:
Acts 10, 34, 37-43 You know what has happened all over Judea.
Psalm 18, This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad.
1 Corinthians 5, 6-8, A little yeast leavens all the dough.
John 20, 11-18, Mary Magdalene
Acts observations:
This book with 28 chapters basically tells the story of what happened to and in the Christian community after Jesus died.
Resurrection
Want to know what Resurrection looks like? Let me give you a couple of pictures.
As you heard me mention at the beginning of our celebration this morning, I went to the Circle R Ranch in Flower Mound Saturday morning for a picnic titled, For the Love of the Kids. There are two of these picnics a year. One takes place around Thanksgiving when busloads of kids come for a picnic with horse rides, hay rides, bounce houses, face painting, dancing on a stage, and visits from Superman, Batman, Santa, and others. It is enormous, a couple of thousand kids.
In April the picnic is for handicapped kids. They come with their families, maybe a hundred or more yesterday. It is wheelchair friendly. I have my favorite job. I stand at the entrance, usually with Beth, and welcome everybody. I am always touched by something special, some resurrection moment.
So here I am yesterday registering an hour before the kids arrive. I walk into the big pavilion and unexpectedly the first resurrection moment hits me. You will never guess what it is. It is The Community. I’ve already seen Kevin, Kerry, and Joe at the registration desk. But when I enter the pavilion I see brown shirts of Bona Responds everywhere. The first Resurrection moment. I was so proud to be part of this community.
Later, Beth, I, and another lady named Lindi are at the welcome lane into the pavilion. Families are starting to come in, many pushing wheel chairs, but all with kids handicapped in some way. Along comes a family with a little blond girl about 5 or 6. I am saying hello and welcome to everyone. The little girl comes right over to me and holds up her arms. I gulp, pick her up, and hold her. I did not want to ever let her go. Another Resurrection moment.
A little later a Hispanic mother comes up pushing her son in a wheel chair. We chat and I look closely at the boy, who is about 12 years old and very nice. What I see is that he has a white sweat shirt that says “Jesuit.”
Well, of course, that starts a conversation, while I hold the boy’s left hand in my left hand. I’m on his left. He is tuned in but not speaking, just watching me sort of fondly. Finally, I reach over with my right hand and caress his soft cheek. He gives me the most beatific, gentle smile that I was almost in tears as we parted. A third Resurrection moment.
I left Circle R in a zone of greater peace, gratitude, humility, and awe.
Your most recent Resurrection moment?
