PHOTOS: Mary van Balen
Therefore, let us celebrate the feast,
not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and wickedness,
but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
1Cor 5,8
Alleluia! He has risen. Let us rejoice…..or be filled with joy!
My sister and brother-in-law joined me for Easter Mass that was celebrated in a mixture of English and Spanish for our ethnically diverse congregation. African drums, flute, clarinet, guitar, organ, piano, bells and tambourines accompanied spirited song. One could feel Joy in the air and in the soul.
What about Easter Joy? It is neither something we can manufacture, nor, as Bishop Rowan Williams stated in his Easter sermon, something we can develop through theory or technique. Rather, Easter Joy comes upon us, grasps our heart, and enters in.
It is the Joy of Presence. Jesus promised to be with us always. The Spirit dwells in us, no matter the situations we face. Violence and hatred fracture our world. The earth groans under the weight of its inhabitants, most of whom are unaware that their lifestyles have a devastating effect on the planet. Personal tragedies, deaths, and suffering do not go away on Easter. So, what made hearts happy and voices strong enough to shake the small building that held our worshipping congregation? What made smiles quick to appear and laughter bubble up from those gathered?
Some still mourn the deaths of family members. The unemployed face a jobless Monday, again. Some battle cancer. Others care for aging and sick family members. Immigrants wonder if their families will be torn apart or if they will remain together to face an uncertain future. The church was full of suffering, unknowns, and grief. Yet, nothing was stronger than Joy.
The cross is part of the Easter journey. Jesus did not promise an easy road. He did promise that whatever our path, we would not walk it alone. When we listen deeply, the Easter story jolts us into a new vision of our lives. Like Mary and the other followers of Jesus, we are surprised and emboldened to see the world with fresh eyes. God is Present with us, in us, and in our world. That changes everything. God will rejoice with us, weep with us, and hold us when no one else does. In the end, we, too, will know new life.
May we nurture that Easter Joy even when the feast is long past and life’s challenges nibble away at our faith. May we be able to wait expectantly, quietly ready to be surprised by Joy.
© 2011 Mary van Balen
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