In Us He Walks: Reflections from the Easter Season of 2023
Earlier this year I launched through the Twitter extension of my BLACKCATHOLIC apostolate what I call “Sunday in a TweetShell: Sunday’s Gospel Message and Us in 280 or Less”, and the goal with this project is just what it sounds like. Each Sunday I put out short reflections on the Mass’s gospel reading that captures a central message from the reading within Twitter’s current character limit for a single tweet. I also share according to format the same reflection through my Facebook extension and here on my website along with the gospel reading. I began my reflection project during the 2nd Week of Ordinary Time, and it continues on through the current time with last Sunday’s reflection.
As you can guess, I pass through the Church’s liturgical seasons including this past Easter season, and I got the idea of gathering the Easter reflections into a prose style when the season was over as they go together even though they were made individually for each Sunday. I feel a theme emerges from them in spite of the fact that I created them separately. I provide them together below with minimal editing. The theme I found is captured in the title of this post:
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In Us He Walks
2,000 years ago a Heart began to beat again, the Heart of a Man who rose from the dead, so that our hearts might begin to beat with the same New Life that made that first Heart beat again with a new rhythm of glory! CHRIST IS RISEN – This is the REAL TRUTH we seek! (Easter Sunday – the various Gospel readings for Easter.)
Like the disciples even as Christ is risen we struggle in fear and doubts that would make St. Thomas blush at times. We fail to be “there” in heart when Jesus does show up. Divine Mercy is all about the second chances God gives us to still say in love, “My Lord and my God!” (2nd Sunday of Easter/Divine Mercy Sunday – Jn 20:19-31)
The disciples walking to Emmaus did not see Jesus until He broke the bread and left their hearts burning for wisdom. During our walk to the heavenly Emmaus we burn to have Jesus walk with us as closely. The Eucharist is the closeness of Jesus we seek, and in us He walks. (3rd Sunday of Easter – Lk 24:13-35)
Jesus proclaims Himself as the definitive Shepherd and Gate of saving pastures for the sheep. Yet now the Risen Jesus gives us a share in His responsibility for His sheep as leaders of all kinds. In this we must look to Jesus alone to be shepherds in the Shepherd. (4th Sunday of Easter – Jn 10:1-10)
Jesus promises us greater works than His. What works could these possibly be compared to the Lord’s? Could there be anything greater than everything we do to try to live the 1st and 2nd Greatest Commandments like Jesus, witness to the Way, Truth, and the Life, and save our souls? (5th Sunday of Easter – Jn 14:1-12)
Jesus promises to not leave His disciples orphans because He will be the means by which all the lost children of the world can receive God as forever Father. Jesus desires to bring us into Himself through the Spirit so that we, like Him, can enjoy being the child of the Fatherhood that can never fail. (6th Sunday of Easter – Jn 14:15-21) [*This reflection did not appear during this week]
Jesus appears to leave His disciples for good, and we ourselves are to contemplate the Lord we cannot see. But Jesus actually ascends to heaven for their good and ours too so that the greater effects of true faith, hope, and love may arise and God the Spirit be revealed. (Ascension Sunday – Mt 28:16-20)
Before the Spirit came the disciples were locked up behind doors by fear. After Jesus came with the Spirit they broke down walls to bring the same Spirit. Don’t keep the Spirit locked up only in the pews by fear or indifference. With Christ, breathe the Spirit everywhere. (Pentecost Sunday – Jn 20:19-23)