Wednesday in the Octave of Easter
How often do we converse or debate with a friend and fail to bring our Christianity into the discussion. By allowing Jesus' to illuminate the discussion then we might recognize his presence in all arenas of our life. Yet often even though we know the good news, we fail to fully accept it. In fact sometimes the good news has little power over our conversations especially with ourselves. Recently I was walking home and really believed that I was alone.
I felt disconnected from God and others. It was almost as if God’s spirit was not with me in my time of struggle. As I further reflected on why felt downcast, I realized that I was telling myself only part of the story. It was my own thinking that disconnected me from Christ. The real story was that God was right there with me walking beside me.
What helped me realize that The Lord was with me was walking with another person who was suffering in a similar way. Listening to his story was like a mirror. The story shined a light that helped me recognize that Christ was in the sacred conversation. It helped us both realize that suffering is not the end of the story. We understood in a new way that this suffering was helping us recognize Christ's presence. This recognition offered us the opportunity to see that we were loved and redeemed.
"Lord help us to remember the whole story. The crucifixion was not the end. We are an Easter people. Lead us to live lives of joy fully connect and aware that You accompany us everywhere. Amen. Alleluia!"
- Michael Montgomery