Lenten Meditation for Today: The Tomb
Mary of Magdalene came to the tomb early in the morning, while it was still dark.
John 20:1
Jesus in the tomb is one proof we have that darkness is not the enemy. Our greatest enemy is the unwillingness to believe in dawn, in resurrection. Hope is what keeps the soul alive in bad times; hope gives us strength to go on despite the darkness of the moment.
When we celebrate Easter as the feast of hope, this is what we proclaim:
Hope is the foundation of happiness. It makes tomorrow a destination rather than simply grounds for the dread of disaster.
Hope is the gift of God to us. The work it takes to make hope real is the gift we give back to God.
Hope is the instinct in us that something greater than what now is, can become real. It is as much a call to respond as it is a sign of what is lacking.
Hope is the cutting edge of vision. It tells us that, indeed, another world is possible but just over the horizon.
Hope is not a free gift. It does not come without a cost. It requires us to earn it.
Hope never solves anything. It simply opens a necessary door in the human enterprise and invites us, begs us, to walk through it–for our sake, of course, but for the sake of the world, as well.
Hope is a quiet, whispered, wonderment saying over and over again in the heart of each of us, “Possibility, possibility, possibility.”
Most of all, hope requires that we spin a few dreams for ourselves that are possible, do able and desirable. Then, all that’s left is the doing of them.
~Sister Joan Chittister 4/3/21
Readings for Today: