Lift Me Up

24/3/2020

A Reflection on the First Reading for March 29th, 2020:
Fifth Sunday of Lent

Ezekiel 37.12-14

Thus says the Lord God: “I am going to open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people; and I will bring you back to the land of Israel. And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people.

“I will put my spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you on your own soil; then you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken and will act,” says the Lord.

Pause. Pray.

And then read more...

Really? We’re going to talk about graves, Ezekiel? Given the current climate of our world these days, reading the words “your graves” is a little off-putting. Lately, I feel like I’m being buried alive under copious amounts of ever-evolving information, directives, fears, and dread. One week, all is fine and the next week, the world is a very different place. All of a sudden terms like pandemic, flattening the curve, social distancing and self isolation have become commonplace in our everyday conversations. I am totally overwhelmed by the amount of information around coronavirus — and the speed at which it’s coming! It has overtaken everything; the way we live, work, shop, socialize, eat, breathe. Or more aptly, it has taken away our ability to do any of those things as we normally did.

But then I re-read Ezekiel’s words and found myself saying: Thank you. Thank you Ezekiel, for reminding me that the Lord will bring me back; that He will lift me up out of the grave — figuratively and literally. God’s goodness is present in these dark days. Canals in Venice are clearing up and our carbon emissions are down. Stores and restaurants continue to make provision in their services for the vulnerable and for their employees. People are being kind to one another, communities of faith are finding ways to connect with one another.

During these challenging days, Christ’s Light can shine even brighter through His disciples: Us. We have the power to shine Christ’s Light brightly in the dark places of this world during this most difficult time. And we must shine — for ourselves and for those around us. To get beyond my own sense of being overwhelmed, I must recognize my own ability (and necessity) to help spread Christ’s Light. While the world may be all doom and gloom, the climate of our Church during this time of year is about anticipating Jesus Christ overcoming the darkness of death. Through God’s ultimate sacrifice of His Son, death has been conquered on our behalf — forever and always. And because of that, I can be certain that God has, is, and will always pull me up and out of the craziness of our world.

But first there is Lent. And well, this has turned out to be the most Lent-iest Lent ever as we’ve all of a sudden been asked to sacrifice much.

At the beginning of our Lenten journey, I began praying:

Open my eyes to see You.
Open my ears to hear You.
Open my heart to receive You,
So that I may witness You to others.

This is my prayer for you, dear readers. May it remind you, as it helps remind me, that there is good in our world. God loves us too much for there not to be goodness. Through Jesus’ selfless gift of Himself, God’s goodness not only reaches us but is within each of us to be shared. And it's needed more than ever right now. How will you shine?

Aurea Sadi

Click here to listen to Lift Me Up by The Afters