Easter Sunday of the Resurrection of the Lord

Tombs and Wombs

The three characters in this image intrigue me! One is looking into the light, one seems to want to avoid it altogether, and the third goes out to embrace new light! Perhaps a bit of each of those characters is in us as we live the Holy Triduum in our own homes rather than in church.

The “tomb” has an opening—a way in and a way out. During this Lenten time of reflection, have you experienced any of what leads us into the tomb? Have you dared to enter in? Have you seen darkness or light? A bit of both?

Have you experienced any “exits” from dark places, some perhaps the “tombs” of our own making? How have we experienced the “way of the cross?” With whom have we walked? When have we helped others carry their cross? When have we wiped the face of Jesus? Has Lent brought new ways of seeing, new awareness, new attention and new understanding of things and people we took for granted in the past? How do we give expression to the newness?

When we “roll away the stone” of our hearts, what do we find within this Easter? How do we take the enlightenment of Lent to bring new life, new light to others?

Celebrating the Triduum at home gives us the opportunity to recast all the images and expectations that we have of Triduum’s past. Yes, we treasure those, especially the ones we celebrate in our SFA community. This year we wash each other’s feet by staying at home and protecting ourselves and others. We choose life! Our hearts are the tabernacles hosting Jesus. We make our family meals a feast of thanksgiving—the meaning of Eucharist. We can place “light” in our windows. We replace palms with Easter symbols on our doors. AND we celebrate Easter creatively—we share Easter joy in new ways. May our wounds—our grief at the loss of what we hold as tradition, the way we always do things, become wombs of new creation! Happy Easter! Alleluia! He is risen! He is alive!