Making Jesus present this Easter
St John of God had a vision while washing the feet of a beggar. The beggar was transformed before him and bathed in a radiant light. A heavenly voice spoke: “John, all you do for the poor in my name is done for me. It is my hand that receives your alms; my body that you clothe, my feet that you wash.”
Baptism is the key to our presence with Jesus. We are brothers and sisters in Christ by virtue of Baptism which makes us children of God and heirs of heaven. In Baptism we receive gifts that keep on giving. We are anointed in Christ. God puts his seal on us and gives us the Holy Spirit in our hearts.
Many of us were baptized as infants and our sponsors spoke on our behalf. If we were fortunate, we grew up with our sponsors guiding our spiritual lives and walking with us in faith. This Easter we can renew our baptismal vows with our sponsors even if they are in heaven before us.
The key is that we are baptized into Christ’s death and resurrection (Romans 6:3). We are rooted in Christ – he is the vine, we are the branches. We walk with God and are connected with God. As children we did not understand the implications. But we are no longer children.
The Easter light delivers us from the darkness of sin and gives us everlasting light which the paschal candle symbolizes. The fruits of baptism enable us to live the kind of fast Isaiah 58:1-9 describes. Our fast puts us in solidarity with the poor who have nothing.
You and I can make Jesus present this Easter. We can make our sacrifices and alms real. And easier than that, we can make Jesus real in our daily lives this lent. What is needed is a realization that Jesus is present with us every day and everywhere. Can you name one place where God is not?
We can talk to Jesus every day. How many times a day do we need to say, “Thank you God.” All our moments are sacred. Our shoes carry Jesus to the world. Our hands touch Jesus when we serve others. Our dishes and utensils are sacred vessels that give us life and nourish our journey.
There are several key things to remember about God. You are what God says you are. You can do what God says you can do. God is what he says he is, and God can do what he says he will do. How wonderful it is to be related to God, to be connected to the vine that feeds our branches.
How consoling it is to reflect on our connection with Jesus. If I die tonight, how good the gifts of Baptism will seem then. How different it is to live a life with Jesus as opposed to struggling along without him. Let me share one real life example.
Sharleen was born and raised Catholic but rejected her faith and never felt a genuine connection with God. She felt she was never good enough for anyone, especially her family and friends. This led to suicide attempts over two years. She decided to trust Christ which brought her indescribable peace and joy. On her own, she scarcely had enough strength to take life one step at a time, but with Jesus, she could climb and move mountains.
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