The lessons for today bring me to reflect on what it means to be alleluia people – to be Easter people. We are people who have not seen, but as Easter people, we believe in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. For this, we are greatly blessed. We also have the gift of the Spirit, and so therefore we too can testify to the truth of Christ in the world. And while many before us, and still in these times, are persecuted and even killed for teaching the words of God in the name of Jesus, we are not to be deterred. Today we memorialize St. Athanasius who was placed in exile five times for his teachings in defense of the Nicene faith and against heresies that diminished the significance of the Trinity. He just didn’t give up. I am much encouraged by the persistent faith of St. Athanasius and others like him who built for us our strong faith traditions through their teaching and witness to the truths of the Gospel.
But these traditions are not enough. We don’t worship and praise our traditions or even the saints. We praise a living Lord who takes an active interest in our lives and the lives of all who call upon the Lord. The saints remind us that each of us must stand firm on our faith even if we are not assigned the tasks of theological scholarship as was the case with St. Athanasius. As Easter people, each in our own way, we are emboldened by our faith to identify with the cries of the poor and the crushed spirits of the broken hearted. As Easter people, we can bless the Lord at all times because we believe in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives. For whatever our troubles and the troubles of others, we can take them on, trusting that the Lord hears us and delivers us. Like St. Athanasius, we shouldn’t give up. Alleluia!
Barbara Dilly
I came to Creighton in 2000 and retired in 2020. My twenty years of teaching, research and service in the Jesuit tradition enhanced my own life. It was an exciting time of celebration. I loved teaching and interacting with Creighton students because they responded so eagerly to the Ignatian pedagogical emphasis on the development of the whole person. It is this spirit of whole person development and celebration of life that I hope to infuse in my reflection writings.
My academic background is eclectic, preparing me well for the Liberal Arts academic environment at Creighton. I earned my BA in World Arts and Cultures from UCLA in 1988 and my Ph.D. in Comparative Cultures from the University of California, Irvine in 1994. My research focused on rural communities in the American Midwest, Latin America, and Australia. I taught Environmental Anthropology, Qualitative Research Methods, Social and Cultural Theory, and Food Studies courses.
I retired to Shell Rock, a small rural community in Northeast Iowa where I enjoy gardening, cooking, quilting, driving my 65 Impala convertible an my 49 Willys Jeepster. I have lots of fun playing my guitars with friends from the Cedar Valley Acoustic Guitar Association. But most importantly, I am still working to make my community and rural America a better place. I host a community quilt studio and serve on the Mission Board of my church. I also serve as the Climate Committee Chair and on the Executive Board of the Center for Rural Affairs.
