Easter Vigil 2007
Vigil Readings:
Epistle: Romans 6: 3-11
Easter is not just the name of a great feast celebrating what God does, but also something we think, something we feel, something we do. May the Easter noun which names the day become a verb in our lives—a way of living, a way of loving, a way of seeing and hearing and understanding. Too many people overvalue what they are not and undervalue what they are. Contrast two workers with me. The first, standing on a beach and using the slanted seashore as an amphitheater, is gesturing with his hands, making points with enthusiasm,. He has a compelling way of drawing people toward him and he must be making sense because more and more people come. Gradually the beach becomes so crowded he is standing at the water’s edge. Then he sees our second worker. He’s a fisherman sitting on his boat and cleaning his nets. He’s clearly frustrated. He’s fished all night and caught nothing; hours and hours of work with nothing to show for it. Two workers, one is pumped; the other is worn out; one is fruitful, the other is futile. Which worker do you relate to? If we believe what we read, one-third of American workers hate their jobs. How many school kids hate school? How many of our families are divided? How many people are successful but not satisfied? How many are bored? If you think about it, the fisherman walks a crowded path. It’s time for Easter to be a verb. Obviously our two workers are Jesus and Peter. We remember that Jesus, knowing how his voice will carry over the water, climbs into Peter’s boat and tells Peter to take him out from the shore. Like Peter, our boat is where we make our living, where we spend our day, live our lives—the taxi you drive, the classroom you teach, the dental office you manage, the family you feed. What would it be like to welcome him on board our boats? What would your life be like if you consciously welcomed Jesus into your boat first thing every morning? He would tell us to please God wit our day. What would it change if Jesus was teaching from our boats? Can you imagine if everyone worked with God in mind? Suppose no one worked to satisfy self or please the bottom line but everyone worked to please God. Many occupations would instantly cease: drug trafficking, thievery, prostitution, certain careers by their nature cannot please God. These would stop. Certain behaviors would stop as well. If I am repairing a car for God, I am not going to overcharge his children. If I drive God’s truck, I am not going to drive drunk. When we live Easter as a verb, Jesus says: “Your work is my work.” “You preside in my courtroom.” “You work on my job site.” “You serve my hospital wing.” “Your spouse is my beloved, your children are my children, and your home is my sanctuary.” Peter did and Jesus told him to do something crazy! Jesus told Peter to lower his nets in the heat of the day. It’s the wrong time of day for fishing; the fishermen are tired; the crowd is watching from the shore—there are so many sensible and non-sensible reasons to say “no” to Jesus. Peter and his partners do what Jesus wants and find themselves knee deep in fish! The catch and the message of their lifetimes surround them. What’s the message? Take Jesus to work and grow rich? The presence of Christ guarantees more sales, bigger bonuses, longer weekends and early retirement? If that was the message, Peter missed it. The catch of his life didn’t catch his eye. Jesus did. Jesus was amid the common grind; Jesus standing shoulder to shoulder with cranky workers. Peter received a new heart, an Easter heart. Easter became a verb for him. He went from being among the dis-appointed to being appointed. [Karl, Christina, Gabriel, and Mark; Jennifer, Lisa, Melissa and Rosemarie; Roger and Claudia; Douglas, Oheneba, and Joe, all of our brothers and sisters who will be Baptized and Confirmed into Communion with us tonight when you feel dis-appointed by life, live Easter as a verb. You enter into the communion of the appointed tonight.]
Fr. Jeff McGowan |
