January 16, 2021

The word resurrection literally means “made standing again.”  In an American society that tells us that we ought pull ourselves up by our bootstraps, the thought of resurrection should attract and excite us.  How is it possible to pull ourselves up when we are worn down and beaten up by the many challenges of life in this world?  What power do we have over the fact of gravity?  And, is the act of pulling oneself up by bootstraps even possible? The conventional American mindset of building up riches for ourselves so that we might have the autonomy and the resources to always help ourselves results in a closed-off system that simply does not lead to life. The pattern of resurrection, however, is the exact opposite:  being poured out completely – as our Lord upon the Cross – and then being brought into new life by another.  Let’s therefore be like the lost son who admits that his life is a mess (Lk 15:17).  Let’s pour out all of our ego-delusion and become prepared to receive the saving power of God in our lives (Lk 15:18).  And from that low place, of stooping down to eat with the swine (Lk 15:16), let’s entrust ourselves to our loving Father who stands at the edge of his property (cf. Lk 15:20) and invites us to be raised up and stand with him forever. Ave Crux, Spes Unica!