A Witness to Reconciliation

Easter lives with us as the core event of Christianity—the event that continues to give us direction more than 2,000 years after Jesus’ resurrection. We still look at the empty tomb and search for a reason his body wasn’t there.

God’s plan extended beyond Jesus and through the disciples and first followers. Its core message was one of never-ending peace through the coming of a kingdom with witness to reconciliation over/against bloodshed and abuse of power, communal responsibility, and the hoarding of power and possessions. The extent to which we confront sins and damages contrary to the kingdom is a direct measure of how we live a life of value that overcomes the effects of sin.

There is, then, an ongoing cycle of keeping the mission alive—each generation must take up the mantle and make it their own.

Can we say that the Church’s proclamation of the triumph over sin and death has brought the world to a better place after all these centuries? At first blush, the answer appears to be a resolute no; however, further reflection reveals that the

Church has displayed leadership and creativity in confronting some of the most challenging issues ever faced by humans. This is done out of belief that love of God must translate into love of neighbor.

Easter, then, is a time of action, a time to emerge from our places of hiding and adhere ourselves to the work of bringing God’s kingdom to fruition in desolate and lifeless situations. Since God’s kingdom came definitively in Jesus’ resurrection— and we are baptized into his life—nothing prohibits us from putting that work into practice.

Maybe the results aren’t always what we expect, but the efforts and prayers are signs that Jesus’ work has been embraced and will continue to direct and identify us as Catholics today.—Mathew Kessler, CSSR