Lessons for the Great Fifty Days of Easter

Lessons for the Great Fifty Days of Easter

“I looked and saw a nurse, dressed all in white, standing by a bed in the improvised ICU. “Why do you seek the living among the dead?” she asked, and then she pulled back the curtain to reveal an empty bed. In my confusion, I turned and walked outside, leaving the hospital as if it were a tomb, and went into the streets. There were hundreds of people there, people laughing and talking, people strolling hand in hand, children playing in the parks, people hugging one another as they met on busy sidewalks. The shops were full. The streets were full. The city was overflowing with the sounds of life, joyous and unending, beneath a clear and sunny sky. I stood transfixed. Then I remembered: it was Easter Day!”—Steven Charleston Facebook Page, Easter 2020.

Easter Parade NYC

Just in case you did not see one of Bishop Charleston’s previous Easter Facebook pages, here it is! He tells us what the resurrection of our state, country, and world will look like. He constantly reminds us to look fear in the eye. He shows us what hope looks like. Reread the resurrection stories of Jesus. So often, he says, “Fear not. Do not be afraid; Peace be with you.”

During the pandemic and our recent tornadoes, I think Jesus’ message also was to care for ourselves and others. Trusting is not just meeting danger unprepared. Like David slaying Goliath, we must take the tools we know best to slay the viruses, prepare for disasters, and reach out to others who need help. David’s ammunition was a slingshot and a stone. Our weapons involved changing our social and hygienic behavior towards the enemy, preparedness, and caring for our neighbor.

Not being afraid means knowing God is beside us and caring about us. But I think God also wants us to be prepared with the tools God gives us against any danger. God walks beside us today so that we, again this year, can take the joy of the Easter Parade into our streets, shops, workplaces, and churches.

My Granddaughter Zoe and I often watch the movie Easter Parade on Holy Saturday. Later, on Easter Day, after lunch, I watched the Easter Parade with our oldest granddaughter, Langley, who had never seen it. That night, she showed me pictures of today’s Easter Parade in New York City. Very different from the past. We need something to remind ourselves of life in the past, but we also need to live in the present. We also need to remember the tools we have learned in this pandemic and recent disasters that we must continue to use so the future of our world remains brighter.

The joy of the great fifty days of Easter is an excellent time to celebrate being kinder to our bodies, more considerate to each other, more forgiving to our souls, and kinder to the planet.