Daily Reflection
April 17, 2001

Today’s readings are wonderful. To see the power of the risen Christ and the Holy Spirit, one need only look at Peter in the book of Acts. Peter has gone from cowardly denial to addressing a crowd of three thousand. He tells them to “repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins” and tells them of God’s promise of the “gift of the Holy Spirit.” The Psalmist sings praises to God. “We wait in hope for the Lord, he is our help and our shield.” John tells of Mary Magdalene searching for Christ’s body. In her grief and hopelessness she mistakes Jesus for the gardener. Only when Christ calls her name does she realize who he is. She cries out in joy and later proclaims to the disciples “I have seen the Lord.” Having seen the light of the risen Christ, she is changed from a woman lost in grief to a light herself.

A few months ago, I spent an overnight in a cabin at a nearby state park. In the middle of the night I awoke and decided to go for a midnight stroll. Being a city boy, I marvel at how beautiful the night sky is when you get away from the city. The sky is God’s canvass and the stars the work of a loving artist’s hand. They seem to go on forever. God’s creation is simply incredible. I walked for a ways marveling until I stumbled over something in the darkness. I looked down and realized I could barely see my feet. It was dark. I mean really dark. I turned to see the light of my cabin and realized it was not in sight. My heart skipped a beat. However, being the mature, adult male that I am, who never needs directions, I strode in the direction I knew the cabin must be. Again, I stumbled. This time I fell. I fell forward with my arms stretched out to catch myself, but I could not even tell if I was going to hit the ground or fall into some deep ravine. Now I was concerned. Visions of my wife dressed in black and headlines “found in the spring thaw” flitted through my head. I stumbled on blindly. Looking in every direction for a light. Finally I saw it. A huge sigh of relief and a short prayer of thanks escaped me as I headed toward the light. Later, safe and warm in my cabin, I thought how my little episode is like the world today. Stumbling in darkness, disoriented, looking for a light for guidance and direction. The glow of Easter is still upon us. The glory of the risen Christ shines for us. Once we have seen this light, we can never be the same. Christ calls us to be lights for the world. My prayer would be that my life might reflect just a little of the light of Christ to those stumbling through a dark world.