Seek Him Among the Living

Alleluia! He is Risen!

The empty tomb...one of my favorite images of my faith. On Easter Sunday, the women came to the tomb where Jesus was laid and it was empty. An angel announced, "He is not here; for he has risen" (Mt 28:6). The tomb was empty and a new chapter in human history began. I like to think of the angel as saying, "He is not here. Go seek Him among the living!" Our faith is alive and found among those who are living, not one that is dead and decaying among the dead.

"He is not here. Go seek Him among the living!" Find Jesus in the face of the little child gazing in wonderment at a butterfly. Find Jesus in the arthritic hands of an elderly woman knitting a sweater. Find Jesus in the homeless man who begs for food on the corner. Find Jesus in the inquisitive mind of the preteen who questions how the universe began. Find Jesus in the inane laughter of close friends sharing an inside joke. Find Jesus in the flickering fire that dances in the night. Find Jesus in the repetitive tides that continually lap the shore. Find Jesus in the tree leaf. Yes, Jesus is found among the living, not among the dead. So, embrace your faith and heed the advice of the empty tomb.

Ask yourself these questions this Easter.

• How do I celebrate my faith as one of the living and not of the dead?
• Where are special places that I discover the Risen Christ?

Written by Sister Kathleen Shannon, D.C.