Easter – The Slow Process of Discovering Life Before Your Very Eyes

Fr. John Cusick

“Jesus is Risen. Live report from the tomb at 10.”

“Hot news” is immediate and often sensational with plenty of on-the-scene reporting. There are interviews with witnesses. Some people are interviewed who might not have experienced much of the story first-hand, but their faces and words enhance the reporter’s story. Cameras capture the entire scene – showing as much detail as possible. And, of course, the entire segment is done in 1-3 minutes, bookended by commercials to pay for all of this.

The experience of the resurrection of the Lord is slow, gradually developing with the first “witnesses” having very little data on which to make their judgment. It takes place in the dark when it is hard to see much of anything. There is great attention to details found in an empty tomb, but little detail about the central figure of the story.

Keep in mind these wonderful scripture encounters were not written by or for the Chicago Tribune. They were written by and for people who encountered the Risen Lord and wanted to share that Good News (“Gospel” means “Good News”) with others…like you and me! They are faith stories. They are spiritual encounters and they rely heavily on people’s understanding of scripture and on the testimony of the early followers of the Risen Lord.

I invite you to go to your Bible, and open it to the Gospel of John, Chapter 20. Read that text slowly, preferably, out loud. Read it as if you were using that text to tell the story to a group of children. Make the words come alive. The goal is to get the words into your imagination. It is a wonderful text.

During the next week or so, I will post some reflections on that text from the Gospel of John. I believe it will help us get in touch with the Risen Lord among us today.

Fr. John Cusick