Easter
The Options Presented This Easter: Another Unprecedented Year or Commitment to the Everlasting
Can you really endure another year like last year?
Try God for one year
That is what I told myself two years ago when living in Oakland, CA. My pastor at the time delivered a powerful sermon on how little we actually give to God, less than 365 days, to be precise. He implored us to try God. Try God for one year. So I did. I gave God a try.
But it didn’t last. I was living a city life, a young life, and had a blossoming career. After 23 days I drifted and never had the patience to return to my vaguely defined attempt (i.e. reading the Bible every day, going to church twice a week, praying once a day, or enrolling in Bible study classes). Fast forward two years and one global pandemic, and here I am, trying God again.
However, this year began differently. Instead of trying God alone, I joined a local Catholic men’s accountability group. Together we set aside the 90 days (40 days of Lent x2) leading up to Easter for God. We checked in daily, prayed daily, and gave up the sweeter things of life (creamer in your coffee, the glass of wine after work, television, and hot showers!). And although I drifted like before, having a group of men to rely on allowed me to come back to my pursuit of God. I’ve broken through instead of breaking down.
After 90 days of trying God, doubting God, drifting from God, coming back to God, testifying, drifting again, breaking down, getting up, and breaking through I feel lighter and more guided than I did at the beginning of the program. Inexplicably there are battles that are won by no power of my own. Does that make sense?
Another unprecedented year?
A week ago I listened to Father Mike Schmitz’s Palm Sunday Homily. I listen to him every Sunday (and his Bible In a Year in between) to guide my thoughts and actions for the week ahead. His homily focused on the Truth of Holy Week, which is Jesus willingly giving His life for our sins, and the choices made in response to this Truth. Fr. Mike relied on one character to make this claim: Pontius Pilot.
Pontius Pilot was the Roman official the High Priests turned Jesus Christ over to. After his questioning of Jesus, Pontius Pilot concluded that he found no fault in Jesus. Removed from the clamor of the crowd, he knew that Jesus was not guilty of the crimes he was accused of. Yet, moments later, in front of the unreasonable crowd, he backtracked.
He freed a known killer, Barabbas, and permitted the crucifixion of a man he believed, deep in his heart to be, innocent. There is never long-lasting peace when we go against our moral compass and less so when that choice is influenced by the whims of society.
This Easter, we pay homage to the greatest victory the world has ever known, the victory over death by Jesus Christ. We can choose to acknowledge this or we can choose to ignore it. We can choose to let it pass by and confront the days ahead, unknown to even the scientific community, or we can choose to follow Jesus who has already announced that He is the way, the truth, and the life. I implore you to take the latter.
To those reading these words, God Bless You and Happy Easter!
Give God a try!
Amen †
