Full of the unexpected, Easter makes love real and concrete. Perhaps
no place are the lessons of love more tangibly present than in the
Easter events.
After the Resurrection, those gathered in the Upper Room—the
Cenacle—locked themselves into the room in which they had shared the
Last Supper with Jesus. They did not expect him to walk through those
locked doors and give them the gift of peace. They did not expect that,
but they did experience it. Neither did any of them anticipate that when
they did not know what else to do—and so did what they knew, i.e., go
fishing—Jesus would walk over water, join them and cook their breakfast
with the fish they caught.
Jesus taught Peter, who had denied Jesus, to recognize and claim his
love and forgiveness. Indeed he taught Peter to say, “You (Jesus) know I
love you.” Easter invites us too to realize the power of his love and learn to
receive it. May we also recognize and receive his very personal love for each
of us, and hear the call to share it.
Easter also teaches us to rejoice. It is a feast that celebrates life and
joy. Imagine, for example, what Mary Magdalene must have felt when Jesus
called her by name. In the recognition she experienced she knew the
kind of freedom that does not need to hang on (see John 20). Freed from any clinging,
then, she was freed to do as he asked. Joy awakens the inner freedom
that loves because of the other’s joy.