Jesus Christ is Risen! Alleluia! Reflections of a Roman Catholic Woman Priest 4/17/2022

A truly Happy Easter to all! Alleluia! Jesus Christ is risen from the dead. God has vanquished death through him. The moment has finally come. With Mary and John and Peter we have looked into the empty tomb. (John 20:1-9). Unlike them we need not guess what happened. We know that Jesus has risen! We have heard him call our names as Mary did ( John 20:16-18). We have met him on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-35) and behind the closed door where the disciples gathered in fear. We have put our hands into His wounds with Thomas. (John 20:19-30). We had him serve us breakfast near the Sea of Tiberius (John 21:1-14). Through the four Gospel records and indeed in our own lives, we have seen him for ourselves, as they did many times over time. JOY, joy, death could not hold him. And now, death can not hold us.

As Pope Francis says in Urbi et Orbi, Easter, 2021 “The Easter message speaks concisely of the event that gives us the hope that does not disappoint: “Jesus who was crucified has risen.” It speaks to us not about angels or ghosts, but about a man, a man of flesh and bone, with a face and a name: Jesus…..the witnesses report an important detail: the risen Jesus bears the marks of the wounds in his hands, feet and side. These wounds are the everlasting seal of his love for us. All those who experience a painful trial in body or spirit can find refuge in these wounds and, through them, receive the grace of the hope that does not disappoint. The hope that does not disappoint is that we too shall rise. We shall rise from our pain, from the darkness of the tombs we may find ourselves in, from living half a life. we shall rise to full life-NOW and then FOREVER. Can you let your heart be lighter now.? Can we embrace this hope?

Indeed that is the question. Joan Chittister says that “Easter is not simply a day of celebration; it is as well, a day of decision.” Can we allow the Light in? Can we allow Jesus to come again in us? Can we embrace J Jesus living in us now? https://visiionviewpoint@benetvision.org via gmail.mcsv.net

When we allow Jesus to live again in us we may have to take unpopular stands and reach out to the most broken of this world. Here Pope Francis sounds like a peace activist, and indeed here he is just that. In this years Urbi et Orbi message, (To the city and the world, 4/17/2022) Pope Francis notes that as Jesus greeted the disciples in the upper room after rising from the dead he said “Peace be with you.” In a world where war and its ravages continue even on Easter “we need the Lord more than ever to stand before us and repeat to us, “Peace be with you!” “Let us allow the peace of Christ to enter our lives, our homes, our countries!”. “May there be peace for war-torn Ukraine”…”that in this terrible night of suffering and death, may a new dawn of hope soon appear!” The Pope said that he “held in his heart the victims, the millions of refugees, the orphaned children, and the elderly left to themselves. We hear especially the cry of the children…” ” He appealed to leaders to “hear the cry of their suffering and to make decisions in favor of peace” Quoting Albert Einstein(1955) he said “Shall we put an end to the human race, or shall mankind renounce war?” He also prayed for peace in the Middle East and in Afghanistan, Myanmar, and on the African Continent. He also prayed for victims of natural disasters. and those struggling in horrific social conditions and drug trafficking. He exhorted us to not surrender to evil and violence. “May we be won over by the peace of Christ! Peace is possible; peace is a duty; peace is everyone’s primary responsibility.”

I am glad for a Pope that renounces war and in fact renounces human destruction and weapons of human destruction. May we too follow Jesus in ways that need compassion and courage to stop destruction and violence and injustice. May we truly be Easter People! with St. Augustine of Hippo let us say: “We are Easter people and ‘Alleluia” is our song. Let us sing ‘Alleluia’ here and now in this life, even though we are oppressed by various worries, so that we may sing it one day in the world to come, when we are set free from all anxiety.”

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While four of our beloved community members pictured here, including our beloved Pastor Judy Beaumont, Peace and Justice Activist, and Roman Catholic Woman Priest since 2021, are now risen with Jesus we continue to gather to love and serve one another- to LIVE JESUS, as the Salesians say. May we all follow our saints and our risen Jesus in standing for peace and justice-no matter what.

HE is Risen! Alleluia! We rise too!

Happy Easter,

Love, Pastor Judy Lee

Rev. Dr. Judith Lee, RCWP and

the Good Shepherd Inclusive Catholic Community of Fort Myers