Fr Don’s Blog: Go to Galilee
| The fifty days of Easter celebrated in Christianity each year mirror the fifty days of the first disciples following the death of Jesus. During that time, the acts of the Apostles changed from those of despairing lost souls to those of courageous people of faith. It began at the tomb where the stone had been rolled away. Mary Magdalene, who went there early in the morning, encountered an angel who said, “Why are you looking for the living among the dead? He is not here. He has risen.” Soon thereafter she saw and recognized the Risen Lord who instructed her to send the disciples to Galilee where He would meet them again. |
| Father Ron Rolheiser, in his book Insane for the Light, explains that Christians do not spend much time in cemeteries after the burial of loved ones because we don’t believe that they are to be found there. We believe, instead, that they are with Jesus—that they have, in a sense, gone to Galilee to meet Him. “Apostle” means one who is sent. Magdalene is often called “the Apostle of the Apostles” because she was sent by Christ to send them (and us) to a place far from the graveyard. She sends us out to become Easter People who spread The Good News and who continue the mission of Jesus on earth by living life fully while encouraging others to do the same. What she discovered at the empty tomb is that followers of Jesus do not reside in cemeteries. They go to Galilee. |
| In the Gospels, Galilee is not just a place on the map; it is a place of the heart. It is a place that is vivacious, enlivening, fruitful, and filled with hope. It is the place where the disciples first met Jesus, the place where He revealed His purpose, where they found meaning in His message and ministry through His mission. It is the place miracles happened, healings occurred, sins were forgiven, the blind saw, the mute spoke, and the lame leapt for joy. It is the place where Peter walked on water and the others had their souls enlarged and their hearts ignited. It is a place of energy and vitality. Rolheiser contends that in each of our lives there is a Galilee, a place where our souls are most alive, where we are exuberant in divine love, and where our spirit lifts us to be our best selves. It was true for our deceased loved ones also; and like with them, it is a place to which we will return after we die. |
| When we name those blessed things about ourselves and others, we no longer want to stand in the graveyard. We want to leave that place of sadness, sorrow, pessimism, despair, and darkness and go to the place of joy, triumph, hope, light, new life, and true life. The cemetery is where people dwell on loss and sulk in misery, where their hatred of one thing or person that was killing them is stronger than their love for a more important thing or person. It is the place that defeats us. Jesus wasn’t defeated. He doesn’t value tombs; He burst forth from the tomb. He doesn’t want us to value them or dwell there either. He wants us to be victorious Easter People who make the world better through acts of compassion and goodness. He wants us to go to Galilee. |
