Easter 2014

Easter 2014

Kathleen Norris, in her book “The Cloister Walk” talks briefly about being treated for cancer using radiation. She recounts how toward the end of the multiple treatments, she would return home and put her feet in a bucket of ice to try to cool her body down.

My field education supervisor mentioned something similar, about his own experience being treated for another kind of cancer. He said that late into the treatment regime, he found that he would walk from his hospital room, leaning against the wall, because he had no strength left to walk unaided to the treatment room.

Radiation therapy is strong medicine. In fact, with all of the advances in cancer treatment, doctors are reticent to use it quite as much these days—but it is still used. The irony, of course, with radiation therapy is that it utilizes radiation—which literally does what radiation does; it destroys. Only in the case of radiation therapy, it destroys cancer cells. All the same, something destructive is used as a therapeutic curative.

The Resurrection is like this. After all, we know that before Jesus could be raised again, he first had to die. And so, in this powerful act of self-giving, Jesus breaks the power of the grave, and precedes us in the resurrection promised to all of us. The crucifixion, then, is strong medicine. Because not only was the crucifixion of Jesus the curative for eternal death, but it was also the therapy for all violence, suffering and injustice in the world. The trouble is that we’ve found ourselves struggling to understand this for the past 20 centuries…

In fact, the Early Fathers of the Church when trying to understand the necessity and meaning of the crucifixion, struggled to articulate their conclusions…After all, it’s not enough just to say that Jesus died and rose again, so it’s all okay. Jesus’ death was brutal, and let’s face it, sadistic; especially if this was done simply to appease some angry blood thirsty god.

One aspect of the crucifixion is that because it is at the center of our faith tradition, it disallows us to ignore the pain and suffering of the world. If nothing else, what the crucifixion does is reminds us that the crucifixion itself is not over. In this act, Jesus hallows suffering, and brings it into the center of all of our lives, and dares us to hope for resurrection.

However, it was also the understanding of the Early Fathers that by his act of full self-giving, Jesus undermined the system of victim and victimizer. So, by laying down his life willingly, Jesus took away the power that the authorities had to kill him; and thereby he destroyed the system.

We might recall from John’s Gospel, that wonderful discussion about the Good Shepherd. Here Jesus adds that no one takes his life away from him, but he lays it down willingly—and that he has the power to take it back up again…

The effects of this act, then, according to the Early Fathers, is like a slow working medicine. So that as this medicine is allowed to take full effect, we, as the Body—the Church, and all of Creation—are made ever-better.

Now, of course, this is a very nice idea; and who couldn’t agree that we need to be better. But, the troubling fact is that we know from experience that the world is still violent; it’s still corrupt; there are still victims and vicitimizers. So, we might wonder if the medicine of the Cross has actually taken any effect at all…

However, if we end there, and give into a fatalist attitude, we miss the bigger picture. Because where this strong medicine of the Cross has taken effect, if we have allowed it, is in the hearts of those who are willing to receive it. So, for those who have allowed the love of Christ to affect them, to change them—for these, the curative has already begun. And the evidence of this healing activity is that we love God, and love one another, and then change the world.

Of course, this is the case for anyone who chooses the way of love, whether they’ve chosen the Way of Christ or not. Because what the healing work of God, through Jesus Christ looks like is a world which is changed in heart and mind—something that is never quickly accomplished. As for those of us who have chosen the Way of Christ; We’re called to be people who are empowered to do justice, love mercy and walk humbly before our God.

But this, of course, is not work for those who are merely captivated by the resurrection; it is instead the imperative for those who have experienced the life giving power of the strong medicine of the Cross.

Christos Anesti!

Christ is Risen, and you, o death, are annihilated!
Christ is Risen, and the evil ones are cast down!
Christ is Risen, and the angels rejoice!
Christ is Risen, and life is liberated!

Therefore, we ought to find it impossible to live in the same old way.