He is Risen and is With Us!
 

As the fragrance of the Easter lilies begins to fade, just a few short days distant from Easter Sunday, the exuberance with which we greeted the announcement, "He is Risen!" can begin to fade as well.  Often, as the days pass, the "good news" reverts to a proclamation of a distant event--an event of the past or of the future.  That is, the "Resurrection" becomes the recall of an event in the life of Jesus (past), or a hoped-for event in our own lives (future). 

The Scriptures of this day serve to halt that retreat from the full message of Easter:  he is risen and is with us!  Peter heals "in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazorean," that is, in the power of the Risen Jesus who is present in the prayer and action of believers.  The broken-hearted disciples are healed by his very presence:  "'Were not our hearts burning within us while he spoke to us on the way and opened the Scriptures to us?' . . .  Then the two recounted . . . how he was made known to them in the breaking of the bread."

Where is he with you, today?  Has some Word of his made your heart burn in these holy days?  Has the Eucharist nourished you in a particular way?  Have you recognized his healing presence in yourself or others?  We are challenged to expect to encounter the Risen Jesus in the midst of life's activity.  He is risen and is with us!