Sunday, April 16, 2006

The Resurrection

It was Good Friday and I was having lunch with some friends. Out of curiosity they asked me about Good Friday and Easter and why it was called a Good Friday when Jesus was crucified on that particular day. So there I was, someone who had failed to fast during Lent, someone who had failed to make whatever sacrifices I had decided upon, someone who was waiting for sunday just to have a sumptuous meal at my cousins place; trying to explain the mystery behind the most important event for christians. I told them about the Last Supper, about the accusations put before Pontius Pilate and the passion that led directly to the crucifixion, for the forgiveness of our sins. I just spoke about events from the Bible. Anyways let me try again.

I know a young person who has cancer. I don't know him personally but know that a lot of people are very fond of him cause he is so full of life. Isn't it ironic that there are those who are so full of life when their journey is nearing its end and then there are those that are just worried that they have a nice journey in the future, no matter what it takes; and in the bargain they die somewhere along the way. As Natalie Goldberg says, "The problem is we think our social and financial status, looks, past victories are solid when we actually exist in the fluid form. We actually exist in the moment where we have the ability to change every second". Come to think of it, the process of fasting and abstinence from something we like, make us not only sympathize but also empathize when the moment demands us to be more humble. I went for confession on saturday after about two years. The process is not only mean't to make you feel that you can start with a new slate no matter how badly you have screwed up, but also to make you think about what you've done, so as to make you a little bit more humble. And then maybe just for a little while after that you feel real good about who you are and where you are heading. The resurrection not only gives us hope of life after death but it also gives us hope of life after death be it in this life as well.

As Carson McCullers says, "Death is always the same, but each man dies in his own way." To add to that I would say, "Life is always the same, but each man lives in his own way."

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