I met a young woman named Katie who had served as a Franciscan missionary in Zambia at an orphanage for children living with AIDS.
She recounted how, day after day, sick children would arrive to be cared for by the religious sisters and laywomen of the community.
Many children died in their care. She recalled one particularly difficult month when 30 children died. It was decided that they would have a memorial service for all the children who had been lost.
Katie’s heart was heavy from the sight of so much death and she struggled to make sense of it all. On the day of the service, she was called into mother superior’s office and handed a slip of paper that said, “We just had number 31. Please add this name.” At this, Katie was overwhelmed with a sense of loss and hopelessness. Over the next few days, she walked in a kind of fog. But she noticed how the Zambian sisters and other women continued to care for the children.
She finally asked one of them, “How do you keep doing this day after day and live through so much death?” And the woman responded, “Sister, I believe in resurrection! And I believe that God cares for each of these children by name. And so will I (take care of them).”
Katie remembered these words from the creed: “I believe … in the resurrection.” She had said those words at Mass countless times, but she had never heard them stated with such confidence or met someone who so clearly based her life on them. Katie said she would never hear those words the same again.
Easter marks the season of being raised to new life. The first witnesses to resurrection encountered the risen Jesus at the tomb. Mary Magdalene first experienced Jesus’ death as a life stolen from her. When she went to the tomb, the body of Jesus was missing. Sometimes we can experience death as life that is stolen from us — stolen plans, stolen dreams and stolen identity. In the middle of feeling lost, the risen Jesus called her name, “Mary!”, and she recognized her risen Lord. Her tomb of feeling lost was transformed into a womb of new life in Christ. She became a witness of resurrection to the disciples.
The disciples had locked themselves in the upper room for fear of the authorities. This room in which they had shared so much love with Jesus had become a tomb of fear and guilt. Fear and guilt can keep us trapped and isolated. Jesus broke into their tomb of fear and offered them the gift of peace and forgiveness — the first fruits of risen life. Their tomb of fear, guilt and denial became a womb of reconciliation. They became witnesses to the resurrection for Thomas.
Jesus’ death had alienated Thomas from the community of disciples. Death filled Thomas with doubt about what it all meant. We can wonder why bad things happen to good people and why there is suffering and death of innocent people. When Thomas heard about Jesus’ rising, he was dubious and demanded to touch Christ’s wounds. Jesus met Thomas in his tomb of doubt and meaninglessness and invited him to touch his wounds. Thomas’ tomb of doubt became a womb of faith, “My Lord and my God!” Thomas became a witness of resurrection for people as far away as India. His faith is still bearing fruit in many parts of Asia.
The faith of Easter transforms our tombs of death into wombs of new life. Faith offers us a way to bring peace, healing and faith. It is the season to believe in resurrection — life that raises us from death. Let us take these words to heart — we may even base our lives on them — and believe in resurrection. Our witness to resurrection is the source of our mission. This is the faith of baptism that calls and sends us forth.
Deacon Friesen is director of the Center for Mission, which supports missionary outreach of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. He can be reached at friesenm@archspm.org.
