Easter Stirs the Breeze
The woman saw it. There on a lonely road in the warm Indian countryside between fields and crops and trees, far from any vestige of human habitation. Not a person in sight. Only birds and squirrels and bees. She moved slowly, taking it all in. Only after a good while did she notice a subtle change. A strange stillness had invaded the scene. She sensed danger in the wind. She stopped and watched intently. Then suddenly she saw it. Something stood up in the low grass. A cobra, half-coiled, half-erect, with its hood spread out in majesty and its tongue flickering danger in the air. She followed its gaze, fixed on the branch of a bush slightly ahead and above. On the branch was a little bird paralyzed with fear. She had heard that snakes do that to birds. Now she was seeing it. The bird had wings, but could not fly. It had a voice, but could not sing. It was frozen, stiff, mesmerized. The snake knew its own power and had cast its spell. The prey would not escape, though it had the whole sky for its range. Fear held the bird. A jump from the grass, a sting from the deadly fang, and the lord of the air would fall under the earthbound enemy.The woman stirred the breeze with her presence. The snake turned swiftly and looked angrily at her. She waved her arms and shouted human sounds. The cobra lowered itself reluctantly to the ground. There it stood still for a moment. Then it scurried away into the grass. A sense of relief swept through the landscape. The bush came alive again. The bird woke from its spell of death. It found its wings. And it flew. The mystery of Easter is such a transformative power. Easter is not just about Christ rising from the dead. It is not just about the “gates of Paradise” being reopened. It is about us here and now having the power of the resurrection in our own lives. It’s about finding our wings.
There is so much in our world that grips us with fear. Terrorism from abroad and from within has polarized and paralyzed us. Economic instability threatens our sense of well-being and security. Widespread poverty, homelessness and disease overwhelm even the most socially conscious.
In the midst of this chaos comes the image of the faithful women of Jesus’ company. They come with little hope but much compassion. Their object is to pay homage to the remains of one who had offered such promise. Their hearts are broken and heavy with sorrow. Their world has been shaken to its core.
But then they are confronted by an empty tomb and a vision. And they remember! They believe! A sense of relief sweeps over them. Their hope comes alive again. Their report to the apostles is met with disbelief; “their story seemed like nonsense.”
And here we are two millennia later. Skepticism plagues us still. Is the power of the resurrection so beyond our comprehension? Can not the liberating energy of a life transformed offer the hope each of us needs--our world needs?
Skepticism at the power of the resurrection to transform our lives and our world will simply lock us in the paralysis of that bird. Whether it’s being threatened by terror and insecurity or being enveloped by indifference and self-absorption, without Easter faith we are frozen, stiff, and mesmerized.
That the Easter event can set us free and empower us to overcome our fears and anxiety is, after all, a matter of faith. That we come to our churches today in spite of those fears is a glimmer of that faith. The real test will be seen in the way we face those fears from this day forward. As we do each Sunday--each “little Easter”--we embrace the Word and are nourished in the Sacred Meal to renew that faith so that his continued presence in our lives will “stir the breeze” and set us free.
