There is a priceless, intimate moment rarely
mentioned or portrayed but it’s captured beautifully in this painting by Eduard
Manet. The sun has not yet risen. The silence of the tomb is broken only by the
breath of angels, the whisper of linen cloths being gently unwound, the scent
of spices wafting into the air. One angel weeps at the sight of his wounds,
while the other cradles his body; but if you look carefully, you can see the
angel’s hair and robes billowing as the Spirit flows into the space, filling
the lungs of our Lord once more. In this moment, Jesus will inhale, sit
forward, stretch his limbs and stand. The angels will carefully fold his
shroud, laying the linen neatly to one side, and will watch in awe as he steps
through the open doorway into the early morning mist, to greet a weeping Mary.
This is His glory; He is our hope.
The voice of Christ
Each one of us meets
with Christ, hears Him and communicates with Him differently. Our own journey
of faith is unique, precious, and filled with highs and lows, challenges and
gifts, yet our mission is the same. The voice of Christ tells us: “You shall love the Lord your God
with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is
the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: ‘You shall love
your neighbour as yourself ’ The
voice of Christ has become our voice, tasked with sharing the hope that we have
in our risen Lord – the hope of forgiveness, of love, and of the peace that
passes all understanding. Alleluia! Matthew 22:37–39.
May the God
who shakes heaven and earth, whom death could not contain, who lives to transform
and heal us, Bless us so that we can share his love. May the risen Lord Jesus
watch over us and renew us as he renews the whole of creation. May our hearts
and lives echo his love. Amen.
Sarah
Prendergast and Sally Morley
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