We are the Easter People!

“Jesus has, indeed, broken through the barrier of death to new life, and where he has gone, we will follow”, writes Fr Martin Delaney

At the heart of the Easter story is a most extraordinary idea. The incomprehensible notion that someone dies but comes to new life. This claim has then led to a belief that there is the possibility of new life for everyone beyond the grave.

Recently a friend shared the following little piece with me. It is a conversation between two unborn twins in their mother’s womb. It goes something like this:

“Tell me, do you believe in life after birth?” asks one of the twins.

“Yes, definitely! In here we are growing and gaining strength for what will face us on the outside,” answers the other.

“That is utter nonsense!” says the first one. “There cannot be life after birth; how is that supposed to look, may I ask?”

“I don’t exactly know myself, but it will certainly be much lighter out there than in here. And perhaps we will actually be running around on our legs and eating with our mouths.”

“I have never heard such nonsense! Eating with your mouth, what a crazy idea! That’s what we have umbilical cords for, to feed us. And you want to run around? It would never work; the umbilical cord is much too short!”

“It will work for sure. It will all be a little different.”

“You are crazy! Nobody has ever come back from after birth! Life ends with our birth and that’s it! Period.”

“I must admit that nobody knows what life will look like after our birth. But I know that we will get to see our mother and that she will take care of us.”

“Mother? You are trying to tell me that you believe in a mother? Well, where then is our mother?”

“Well, here! All around us. We are alive in her and through her. Without her we could not exist!”

“Rubbish! I have never noticed anything of a mother. Therefore, a mother cannot exist.”

“It’s true! Sometimes when you are really quiet, you can hear her sing or you can feel when she lovingly caresses our world!”

Life after death

Jesus told the story in another way using a parable which we often recall when we begin to wonder about death and life after death; “Truly I say to you, unless the grain of wheat falls to the earth and dies, it remains alone. But if it dies, it produces much fruit.” Jesus is talking about himself, when he is buried in the ground like the seed and dies, then he can break forth into new life, be raised from the dead and share that life with all of us.

That’s the first and most joyful message of Easter – that Jesus has, indeed, broken through the barrier of death to new life, and where he has gone, we will follow; each of us, when we die, will be like the seed that breaks forth into new life.

Paddy’s dilemma

Paddy is on holiday in Jerusalem with his wife and mother-in-law. Sadly, the mother-in-law dies. He goes to the local undertaker to make arrangements.

The undertaker explains that he can fly the body home to Ireland for $5,000 or have her buried in Jerusalem for $500. Paddy thought about it for a moment and then said to the undertaker that he would fly her home.

The undertaker expressed shock that the young man did not go for the cheaper option but Paddy said: “It’s just that I know of a case of someone who was buried here in Jerusalem many years ago and on the third day he rose from the dead. I just don’t want to take that chance!”

Happy Easter!