Easter Sunday Day Mass at Mississippi Abbey

[Scripture Readings: Acts10:34a, 37-43; Col 3:1-4; Jn 20:1-9]

Many years ago, before e-mail, before computers, even before television, a young girl learned that after the Resurrection Jesus continues to live in the hearts of those who love him. Struggling to grasp what this could mean she climbed into her mother’s lap one day and pressed her ear tightly against her stomach. Her mother said, “Honey, what are you doing?” The child made a sign to be quiet, her index finger across her lips, and whispered, “I’m listening for Jesus inside you.” Enjoying her closeness, she let her daughter listen for a while, and then said, “Well, did you hear Jesus within me?” “Yes, I did,” she replied, “it sounds to me like he’s making coffee.”

What a delightful way to think of this astonishing mystery of the presence of Jesus after the Resurrection. Maybe he’s not making coffee, but this little girl had the right idea. His presence in our hearts is as intimate and normal as sharing a cup of coffee with someone you love. When the great German theologian, Karl Rahner, spoke about the necessity of an intimate love for Jesus, a fellow professor said to him, “That’s alright as long as you don’t get sentimental.” Rahner replied, “You are really dealing with Jesus only when you can hug him.”¹ Jesus, himself, expresses it this way: “Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any one hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me” (Rev. 3:20). Whether you compare intimacy with Jesus to sharing a cup of coffee, or a hug, or a meal with him, the reality is the true presence of the risen Christ in the hearts of those who love him.