It’s not often that I recognize that I’m envious, but every year I find myself envying our seminarians when they speak to me about spending the whole night in prayer in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem.
Whenever I ask about highlights from their J-term month in the Holy Land, at least one of them will bring up this experience. Although I have had the blessed opportunity to visit that church and to pray at the empty tomb on a few occasions, it had never occurred to me to ask if I could be locked in overnight. Until I came to the archdiocese, I never knew that was even a possibility.
How wonderful it would be to spend the night in silence at the spot where all of history changed! Not long after the Second Vatican Council, one of the priests at my home parish had invited the local Lutheran pastor to offer a Lenten evening of reflection, and he chose to speak on the centrality of the Resurrection. For the next 50 years, my father would often quote Pastor Naumann: “If Jesus didn’t really rise, if the tomb wasn’t really empty, our faith is in vain.”
Each time we recite the creed, we affirm our belief that Jesus truly “rose again on the third day.” That should be enough to take our breath away, and yet our Sunday routine seems to expect us to continue our recitation, all too often at breakneck speed. Jesus is truly risen. He’s not just an extraordinary teacher, he’s not just an exceptional role model, he’s the beloved Son of God who for our sake shattered the bonds of sin and death.
The good news is that Jesus’ victory isn’t for him alone, but for all of us. The patristic reading for the Office of Readings on Holy Saturday imagines the encounter between Jesus and Adam, “asleep in the tomb” for all those generations: “Awake, sleeper, I have not made you to be held a prisoner in the underworld. … Rise, let us go hence; for you in me and I in you, together we are one undivided person.” Imagine: Our destiny, like Adam’s, is to rise with Christ.
Back on the First Sunday of Lent (which now seems like ages ago), Bishop Williams and I had the privilege of celebrating the “Rite of Election and Call to Continuing Conversion.” It’s a beautiful opportunity to meet the hundreds of women and men who will become Catholic in our archdiocese this Easter. I love listening to their stories and learning of their desire to be united with Christ and the Church that he founded and entrusted to the Apostles. There’s nothing that they want more than to be “one undivided person” with Jesus and, like Adam, to one day rise with him.
Listen for their “I do” as they are asked at the Easter Vigil: “Do you believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was born of the Virgin Mary, suffered death and was buried, rose again from the dead and is seated at the right hand of the Father?” The whole Church is enriched by their enthusiasm and example as we, too, are called to renew our baptismal vows at Easter and to reaffirm, in particular, our belief in the Resurrection.
All of Christian life, it could be argued, is our response to Jesus’ death and resurrection. Acknowledging what Jesus has done for us, and with gratitude for his invitation to one day share in his resurrection, we freely respond to his call to serve, whatever form that might take.
I saw that manifested beautifully just a few weeks back, as four women in our archdiocese were consecrated as virgins living in the world. We will see that for sure, moreover, when Bishop-elect Izen publicly offers his “yes” at his episcopal ordination and begins his service as an auxiliary bishop in this archdiocese. We will also witness that response as so many couples embrace Christian marriage at spring weddings, as our consecrated sisters and brothers make their religious professions, and as our local Church celebrates ordinations to the diaconate and the priesthood, all in response to what Christ has done for us.
Throughout the archdiocese, nearly 2,000 of our brothers and sisters have responded to the call to be part of Synod Evangelization Teams at the parish level. Enlivened by the good news of Christ’s resurrection, they have just completed this year’s School of Discipleship and have embarked on a 40-day challenge focused on the virtues of forgiveness, humility, patience, selflessness, kindness, attentiveness and contrition. We are counting on the Lord to pour out his grace upon them as they strive to become “activated” disciples, equipped to serve as Spirit-filled leaders and foot soldiers in the renewal of our archdiocese.
Please join me in remembering them in your prayers this Easter, and know that you and your families will be in my prayers as well. Christ is Risen! He is truly Risen!
