Our spirituality is an Easter spirituality! It
is marked by joy and optimism permeated by the peace of the Risen Lord.
It was Easter Sunday, 12th April of 1846 when Don
Bosco moved with his young people to the Pinardi shed. This was to be their
permanent home after five years of
wandering from one place to another.
For Don Bosco this was a
truly Easter experience; only the week before he was desperate;
- < I said nothing at
all, but everybody knew how troubled and worried I was… I withdrew to one side,
and as I walked alone I began to cry, perhaps for the first time. As I walked I
looked up to heaven and cried out, "My God, why don't you show me where
you want me to gather these children? Oh, let me know! Oh, show me what I must
do!" >
When all seemed hopeless,
God provided, and by the following Sunday, which was Easter, they were settled
in their new place. It was fitting therefore for Don Bosco to be canonized on
Easter Sunday 1934.
Our reflections this
month help us to enter more fully into this Easter spirit of joy in action. Mary Magdalene highlights the feminine role in
proclaiming the Easter joy, a joy reflected in that of Mary Mazzarello in Mornese.
CONFORT 
The Resurrection stories of these Easter
days come from the early communities that are proclaiming the Good News with
joy and thanks. They have had this intimate transforming encounter with the Lord whose tomb is empty
as is every tomb who tries to claim us in death because love is stronger than
death. The tomb henceforth becomes the
womb of new and eternal life
This awareness and understanding for them
as for us gradually unfolds. The cloud
of unknowing is slowly and patiently lifted and stranger is recognized as
friend.In this context he reveals
himself in word and gesture. Familiarity occurs as bread is broken, names are called in love, empty tombs are searched, burning hearts are
felt, nets are cast again, lakeside
breakfast served, peace breath is felt
and wounds are touched. All is the same yet everything is totally changed. His
appearances empowered and transformed them. As Easter people they understood
themselves and embraced their birthright and new identity as Children of the
Living God, free to be witnesses and proclaimers of Gods life-giving love for
all.
These Easter days are our Emmaus journey.
Just as we grapple with the reality of death we also struggle with the mystery
and reality of life after death.
Dietrich Bonheoffer said “There is meaning in every journey
that is unknown to the traveler”
Some wonder if Resurrection ever happened, others experience and live it every day and invite us to
have eyes to see and ears to hear. May these days help us to let go of our
foolishness and slowness of heart and have eyes of Faith.
The Easter experience and journey changed the first
disciples radically. It affected and effected their discipleship.
Let the risen lord be the source of our joy
and life the
place for joy. [Pope Benedict Theme for WYD27.] Let us with all creation be joyful proclaimer's and witnesses to
the breaking of eternity into the ordinariness of our lives. Alleluia.
Questions for Personal & Community Reflection
+
As disciples and companions on the
journey what are our conversations on the road?
+ What happens to us as the word and bread
is broken?
+ Do we cling and get stuck?
+ Who are the angels that challenge us not to seek the living among the dead?
The Secret of our Joy
Jesus dead and risen.
Mary Magdalene-I remember that morning. With the other
women, my sisters, I went to the tomb. Jesus was not there. We ran to the Upper
Room as the angel told us. But my heart was sad. We hadn't seen him. The desire
to see him burnt in our heart. Then, there in the garden, I heard his voice: "Mary!" Called by name, I had
no further doubts: "Master!"
I had gone with oil to anoint the dead and instead I had met the
Living Lord. And so began a radically new experience, because the Lord takes
you out of your narrow sense of security and sends you forth, if you trust his
word.
It was like getting to know him all over again: he went ahead of
us and sometimes we had difficulty in recognising him in the signs of His
presence.
So we learnt to seek him in the Eucharist, in the word, in the
poor, in the community and in the whole world.
In him is the source of joy and of
peace
Fear gripped us now and then. But his word guided us and his
promise resounded in our lives: "I
will send you my Spirit ... and he will lead you to the truth." "I
will be with you always".
The Risen Lord alive through the power of the Spirit, was the
source of our life, our joy and our peace.
Every day
the community lived in the certainty that his love had gone before them: our
experience of him enabled us to see his face when he met us in daily
situations.
Jesus was our whole strength, the centre of our lives
Mother Mazzarello - We were poor and
uneducated. But Jesus was our life. It was he who called us to dedicate
ourselves full time and with all our love to the girls of Mornese.
We were laughed at, because we poor peasant
girls aspired to be spouses of Christ. We were really sure that Jesus loved us,
that he was our only purpose in life. He was the source of our joy. For this
reason burdens became light, difficulties were overcome with serenity, poverty
gave us the opportunity to say: "Jesus,
I love you!"
The fire of love was kept alive.
Questions for Personal & Community Reflection
What made our hearts burn?
In our communities we are enlightening and nourishing our life
with the Word and the Eucharist, sure that the deepest level of our existence
lies beyond the many things that fill our days.
lies beyond the many things that fill our days.
We all - religious communities and the young - have a great
thirst for authenticity, a great heartfelt wish to be unified in our lives. We
feel that our world is hungry for something more; that dissatisfaction and lack
of sense have given birth to a new desire for God.
v
What burnt in your
hearts as you walked beside the Risen Jesus?
v
And where do we find
answers to the questions which multiply and disturb us?
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