The key to encountering resurrected life is simply doing the next right thing.  The anointed one had not laid waste to his enemies, nor had he restored the glory of former days.  In fact, he apparently could not even save himself.  Nevertheless, the women gathered spices and went to his tomb anyway.  They did not get stuck in their grief or paralyzed by fear because of their willingness to approach and in fact anoint the darkness – it was simply the next right thing. During this season of resurrection, let’s refuse to wallow in our own suffering or be victimized by another’s.  Let’s dig deep and make a habit of doing the next right thing.  We shall discover, like the women, that resurrected life is our constant vocation and destiny.  Ave Crux, Spes Unica!

The word “resentment” literally means to feel something again and again and again.  This emotional merry-go-round has a negative connotation and can consume us in an instant.  Perhaps we feel resentful toward a family member who received a greater share of the inheritance, or a business partner who made a deal behind our backs, or the person who carelessly cut us off in traffic.  Whatever the case may be, we need to find a way to exit this suffocating pattern of anger and pain before we lose ourselves!  When we look within, we will discover that we are scared of being vulnerable and that we simply clasp onto negative emotions because they give us a sense of control.  As time goes on, however, we can gradually surrender this compulsive behavior and begin to trust at that deep level of the spirit.  Our beloved will eventually appear, and we will know what it’s like to feel loved again and again and again and forever (Song 3:4). 

Ave Crux, Spes Unica.

“Whose feet will you wash?”  This was the stinging question that a bishop posed to hermits scattered across the countryside in his diocese.  They explained that they were doing battle with the devil by day and having mystical visions by night, but despite their obvious passion and religious fervor, these men seemed to be missing the mark in the Christian life.  The bishop eventually gathered them into monastic communities where they could experience the weight of other people in real time and thus grow closer to the Lord.  It can be easy to rationalize a modern hermetic lifestyle where our status, finances, personality, geography, or piety have us living at a distance from everyone else, yet such untouchableness means that our hearts shrivel and our spiritual lives atrophy along the slow path of death-by-hallucination.  Let’s therefore have the courage this Lenten season to be like Jesus by living close to and with and for other people. 

Ave Crux, Spes Unica.

I once heard of a woman who was found throwing handfuls of dirt and mulch at a statue of Mary in the courtyard of a Catholic hospital.  Someone called security, and as the guard was on his way over to confront her, he happened upon one of the chaplains who escorted him to the scene.  When they entered the courtyard and saw for themselves what was going on – now she was yelling at the statue – the chaplain stopped the guard from approaching, explaining, “She’s not vandalizing the property, she’s praying!”  Would that my own prayer might be so authentic!  Would that instead of sitting complacently in the system of hideouts I have developed in my head, I might actually have the courage to honestly share my feelings with the Lord!  Would that I might trust that much!  Ave Crux, Spes Unica.

What is the white whale in my life?  Perhaps it’s a high profile job, or the perfect family, or a certain social status, or any number of alluring objects.  Whatever it happens to be, my name is Ahab, and I spend my days chasing after this thing!  My western mind, like his, has lost its capacity to encounter reality and instead sits passively atop my shoulders as a big blank screen onto which any fear or insecurity might be projected.  Let’s make the decision to exit this pattern of obsession by finally getting to the root of our problems.  In doing so, we shall discover how to live outside of ourselves, on firm existential footing, in communion with other people.  We shall stand with Jesus as “fishers of men” (Mt 4:19), and our inner white whale shall be clothed with many rich and authentic colors (Gen 37:3).  Ave Crux, Spes Unica.