Easter Tuesday

Jesus said to Mary, "Stop holding on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father." Jn 20:17

It is natural for us to cling to what we know, especially when we are comfortable and secure. Parents know this in a particular way when they send a child to school for the first time. Not only is it difficult for them to let go, often their children also struggle to learn how to care for themselves in a new environment. Change, though necessary, involves risk, and without change, we will not meet new people or engage new situations.

Our bodies teach us this in dramatic ways. The cells lining our intestine replace themselves once a week, and even the long lasting cells of our pancreas replace themselves every year. If these cells do not replace themselves properly and adequately, we get sick. The same is true for our spirits.

Mary Magdalene was grieving, crying outside the tomb of Jesus. When the man she thought was a gardener called her by name, she knew it was the Lord, and naturally believed that everything would soon return to normal. Jesus was alive and with them and would continue to instruct them about God's love and their responsibilities, especially to the poor. But Jesus is clear with Mary, and with us. Don't cling to me. Don't cling to what you know well just because you are comfortable. Trust me and even more powerful things will be done in you and among us.

This is another of Easter's challenges. The more we understand how God wants to work in us, the more we will be anxious to follow him and change. Will Rogers said it succinctly, "Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there."

Today, ask for the strength to let go of anything to which you are clinging unhealthily.

What helps you trust that there is still much growing in faith in front of you?