Easter Sunday Thought, April 5, 2015

God bless each and every one of us this day as we remember the sacrifice made on our behalf, the gift of forgiveness, and the promise of everlasting life in the Kingdom of Heaven. I give thanks this day to our Lord Jesus Christ for suffering so much during those final hours in order to purchase for us this gift.

I pray this, with all the humility of a sinner, in Christ's name. 

Amen

Easter is upon us again!  It seems like just yesterday I wrote this prayer.  Hard to believe a year has passed.  My mom was recovering from my dad's stroke, and I was preparing to uproot my life from the northwest, once again, and start anew in the Deep South.  I left many good friends behind, for the second time, but found new friends here, as well.  We have started building my new home and I am busy planning the town's future, in our own humble way, with some movers and shakers at a local cigar and beer bar. When we aren't planning the future, we're solving all the world's problems while affecting absolutely no change.  As tough as this past year has been, however, I try to keep my eye on the reality of it.

Each time life seems to surmount my ability to cope, I take a moment.  Christianity has taken a multitude of hits lately.  The faith is under attack from without and within.  But, what else is new?  At times one thinks it's an Abrahamic curse upon the faithful, kind of like guilt.  We find ourselves wandering a mysterious trail through a haunted forest as we mumble to ourselves, "Christians, and Muslims, and Jews, oh my!"  God suffers us with many challenges in life, but he has also given us a bar to weigh our ability to cope.

Those Christians among us are probably familiar with escaping to church in hopes of getting some answer from God, some tidbit of hope to make our troubles lighter.  As we kneel to pray we look up and are confronted by the image of Christ crucified on the cross.  What troubles do we have?  What burdens are so insurmountable that we selfishly whine about them to Him in a house that, in itself, flies in the face of Christ's teachings?  What more can we possibly ask of He that was ridiculed, lied upon, tortured, shamed, crucified, and denied, all for the salvation of mankind.  What burdens can compare, can stand up against such faith?

There is nothing more we can ask of one that has given everything, for there is no greater love than to give up one's life for your fellow man.  We can ask His forgiveness for our weaknesses.  We can offer up our love and respect for His sacrifice.  We can recognize, through His rising, the very real possibility of an everlasting life and a Kingdom of Heaven.  We can also admit, to God and ourselves, that none of us are perfect, and each year we will aspire to a rebirth of our faith and a realization that our burden here on earth is insignificant to the burden carried for us by Christ, our Lord.  We are blessed with another year to make ourselves right with God and our fellow man.

So, this Sunday, say a short prayer of thanks and love.  Remember those serving to keep us safe and ask a blessing upon them.  Do not dwell on the troubles in your life and on this earth.  Instead, go out and celebrate the gift that was freely given to you; the gifts of life, love, and salvation.  Hug a stranger; give treats to the children and flowers to the mothers.  Celebrate peace and forgiveness.  Above all celebrate forgiveness, as He celebrated it at the time of His own passing, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do."

But they were distressed and wept greatly. "How are we going to go out to the rest of the world to announce the good news about the Realm of the child of true Humanity?" they said. "If they did not spare him, how will they spare us?" 

Then Mary stood up. She greeted them all, addressing her brothers and sisters, "Do not weep and be distressed nor let your hearts be irresolute. For his grace will be with you all and will shelter you. Rather we should praise his greatness, for he has prepared us and made us true Human beings."

-- The Gospel of Mary

Editor's Note:  

Before you go getting your panties in a bunch, it is essential to understand that this is just an opinion site and, as such, can be subjected to scrutiny by anyone with a differing opinion.  It doesn't make either opinion any more right or wrong than the other.  An opinion, presented in this context, is a way of inciting others to think and, hopefully, to form opinions of their own, if they haven't already done so.

It is my fervent hope that we keep open and active minds when reading opinions and then engaging in peaceful, constructive, discussion and debate in an arena of mutual respect concerning the opinions put forth.  After over twenty years as a military intelligence analyst, planner, and briefer, I have come to believe engaging each other in this manner and in this arena is the way we will learn tolerance and respect for differing beliefs, cultures, and viewpoints.

We all fall from grace, some more often than others; it is part of being human.  God's test for us is what we do afterward, and what we learn from the experience.
  

Pastor Frank Anthony Villari

Pastor Tony is founder of the Congregation for Religious Tolerance and author/editor of the Congregation's official blog site, "The Path."