After the Resurrection Of course there were disputes. How to follow the master is not always clear. Is the Mosaic Law binding? What day is sabbath? Who is welcome in the communities? Is the end time near? But the word spread in the years after the Resurrection. Jubilee, it was said, took place every seven years. Then farm work ceased, the land lay fallow, debts were cancelled, and the Hebrew slaves set free. After the Resurrection, the long wait for jubilee ends. A new life has begun. In their eagerness, the people shared more freely, “nor was there anyone needy among them.” Released from old fears, they placed their wealth at the service of the community. This new life must be visible among us now. With Easter, the wait is over. Light spreads through the dark Church at the vigil. The stone is rolled back. The waters of Baptism are poured. Grateful joy washes away some of our worries. In the quiet of Holy Week, the suffering and abandonment of Christ slip past our guard. How could I ever love like this? With Easter the emptiness fades. We sip our first Diet Coke in weeks. And wonder, now what? We thought the mystery meant death and what lies beyond. By keeping busy we try to avoid these disturbing thoughts. We didn’t pay much attention to the mystery of life. We are born again from above. In this life we already cross the line that separates us from Your presence. Eternity walks among us. You adopt us as your sons and daughters. Easter. What we used to call living is far from the truth.
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