When my kids had been youthful, we used to go to the Easter Vigil Mass. As a consequence, Easter morning was at dwelling. The Easter Bunny visited the night time earlier than and left not solely an Easter basket with sweet and small toys, but in addition eggs hidden round the home. As the Bunny had accomplished for me, he left one egg for every youngster with the kid’s identify written on it in wax crayon earlier than being embellished. The different eggs had been up for grabs, however solely you had been allowed to seek out your personal egg, the one particularly crafted and embellished for you. This custom maybe unintentionally handed on a Scriptural notion: “I have called you by name; you are mine.” (Isaiah 43:1) Jesus is aware of every certainly one of us by identify. Jesus calls every certainly one of us to be his beloved. God as Creator can also be the guardian of every certainly one of us and loves every individual as a baby is liked: by identify, uniquely, deserving of particular and hidden presents.
One 12 months after each of our kids had left for school, there was an Easter basket for his or her return dwelling however no egg hunt. We figured that our 18-12 months-previous had outgrown the custom and would not have an interest. We had been fallacious. “Why are there no hidden eggs?”
It solely took one have a look at his face for me to appreciate that at all ages, we wish the possibility to be a baby once more, the possibility to play. At an egg hunt, we play expectantly, looking out with the assumption that the presents are there to be discovered.
The celebration of Easter as a liturgical season extends nicely past Easter Sunday. One method to stick with the 50-day season is to learn the post-Resurrection encounters that the Gospel authors document and to think about: Where do I discover myself in these tales?
In many of those narratives, Jesus speaks the names of his mates. Jesus says, “Mary,” to Mary of Magdala, and that’s how she acknowledges him (John 20:16). When Jesus and Peter reconnect after breakfast on the seashore, Jesus asks, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” (21:15) To a gaggle of disciples fishing, he asks, “Children, have you caught anything to eat?” (21:5)
I’m particularly intrigued by that final identify, “children,” as a result of it jogs my memory of the ways in which it’s usually simpler for us to hook up with God once we are extra like kids: open-hearted, spontaneous, able to go attempting to find God’s presents, and able to be stunned by God. God is the one who acts, and we obtain God’s presents, however to be receptive, we additionally have to have an angle of expectant playfulness. Maybe it’s an angle of in search of the great in others at our subsequent social gathering. Maybe it’s being looking out for wildlife on a nature stroll. Maybe it’s specifically adorning Easter eggs for our grownup kids or different grownup relations. Maybe it’s being playful with God in prayer and understanding God might be playful with us in return.
This Easter, I’m eager about discovering God in all issues as akin to endeavor a treasure hunt. Although there may be a lot struggling on the planet, we’re invited not solely to await the God who calls us by identify, but in addition to go attempting to find the divine and anticipate God to point out up, as a result of, in truth, God is already there. Like the Easter eggs hidden round the home, God has presents with our names already written on them. Perhaps the best reward is recognizing that within the moments of God’s ongoing self-revealing, we’re reminded that God is admittedly there and ready for us to be childlike sufficient to seek out and be discovered.
Image by NickyPe from Pixabay.