Easter and the Pandemic

The pandemic with its numbers of new cases and rising death toll seems to dominate the news. I find it gives Easter a reality check.

Essentially, the meaning of Easter is that there is no real life without death.
And when I consider other core symbols of the Christian faith, I find the same message.

• Baptism tells me the way to life is through death.
• The communion table reminds me more specifically of the historical reality of Easter as a Christian celebration: our life is only possible through Jesus' death. The elements of communion - bread and wine - are symbols of life, but are such only because of death.

The pandemic impresses upon us the frailty of life, and because of that frailty, how precious and valuable it is. We see incredible efforts to save lives (and even greater efforts to save "economic life.!"). Yet every life that is "saved" in the pandemic is in reality only prolonged. On the other hand, in the process, those involved - the one restored to health, as well as all who contributed to that restoration - may find their current and remaining lives changed fundamentally for the better.

Easter reminds us of the immense value of Jesus' life, the value of his voluntary death, and therefore of the enormous power and glory of his resurrection. His is the one case in which death was actually defeated, from within. And He offers to share that resurrection life with us - now and beyond our own graves.

Jesus calls us to follow him. He is and has the secret to "life by death." Not only life after death, but life here and now through death to self and all that flows from self-centredness or "self as god." "Deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow me." "Anyone who tries to keep his life, will lose it, but those who give up their life for my sake, will find it."

Easter shows how we not only can live with death, but how we can live now because of or through death. May your Easter be -again - a deeply enriching period of reflection, confession, thanksgiving, and joy!