“Why do you seek the living among the dead?” (Lk 24:5). With joy and hope in the Risen Lord, we go through the season of Easter, and we attempt to respond to this question. Easter is an event of transition from death to new life. Easter is also an event of transformation. Resurrection of Jesus is not merely historical, but also changes history and opens a new future for all humanity. It has given hope to those who are suffering and living in the periphery. Pope Benedict XVI reminded the Church that the true measure of humanity is determined in relation to suffering. A society that turns its back on the weak, becomes cruel and inhuman.
The truth of Easter is never abstract and ambiguous, but it is to be internalized and translated in favour of the marginalized. The consolation which the Risen Lord gave to the bereaved women and the disciples, and the hope which he offered to them, invites us to respond generously to the needs of others and show compassion to those in sorrow.
Pope Francis urges us all to resist the temptation to marginalise and forget those who are elderly, ill, or weighed down by the hardships of life. He says, “Let us not banish suffering from our surroundings. Let us not exclude those who are frail.” Instead, we must allow God’s love – poured into our hearts – to transform even suffering into a space of communion and growth.
Easter calls for transformation – for inner changes. We tend to seek our today and tomorrow in our aspirations and dreams for material wellbeing and higher status in the society. The Holy Father Francis laments, “How often do we search for life among inert things, among things that cannot give life, among things that are here today and gone tomorrow, among the things that pass away!” Unfortunately, we are looking for the fulfilment of life, where it cannot be found. The probing question of the two men at the tomb, “why do you seek the living among the dead,” must increase our quest for a bright future, overcoming the temptation to look back at our beleaguered past filled with bitterness. The celebration of Easter invites us to protect ourselves from being seduced by the vanity of worldly things, powers and successes. Jesus is no more in the tomb of yesteryears. He is risen, and awakens us to eternal life, leading to renewal of life today itself. Let us seek Jesus among the living in the contemplative silence, in the wisdom of detachment, in a genuine religious life and in the happiness of the marginalized.
Festal Greetings from
Fr. A. Patrick Jayaraj, MSFS
Provincial
South-East India Province