Every once in a while, if you get to airports you see a marvelously touching scene like this one.
“There is a woman with three little kids waiting at one of the arrival gates. They are all excited and obviously waiting anxiously. Several people come through the gate – and then comes Daddy. The little ones are screaming with joy, jumping up and down as he quickens his pace and his wife moves to embrace him. And the littlest one is grabbed up into his arms and the other two wrap themselves around a leg.”
Daddy’s back – and the joy is marvelous! All that he means and all that he does and all that he gives and all that he is, is home! In the Gospel of John when they come to the tomb it is still dark. That is, in John’s Gospel, a lack of faith. We are here today, most of us, as a matter of faith.
We have brought our light and worn our white garment, our best garment, our Baptismal robe. We stand at the tomb first as that family stood at the gate of arrival. We are invited to experience the coming of the Risen Christ into our lives.
Yesterday I had the somewhat unusual privilege of administering all the Sacraments a priest can administer.
Baptism – she (Julie) came into the Embrace of Christ.
Confirmation – that one, that Advocate will be at her side.
Eucharist – Chris becomes our nourishment , our life-giver.
Penance – Chris is the one who frees us from our past with all its failures
Anointing – Jesus the Healer.
No wonder we are an Alleluia people. No wonder we are filled with joy this day.
We don’t go to church because we’re good. We hope that by being in touch with goodness there, some of it will rub off and make us better able to meet life’s demands.