Baxter loves the sun. He gets excited on sunny days and loves to spend time looking out the window, sometimes at nothing from my point of view, but he is mesmerized. He also loves to lie in the sun. I do not think that he gets a tan. At least, I never noticed one, but he loves to feel the warm rays on his back, tummy, nose and paws. He makes the effort to change his position from time to time to be sure that all parts are exposed before a sunning session is done. Feeling warm all over is reassuring to this usually skittish critter.
Baxter has mastered the art of lingering in the sunlight for vision and warmth. Not a bad lesson for us to learn. However, instead of sunlight, we need to linger in the light of Christ. The Church gives us fifty whole days in the Easter season to ponder the wonders of this light. We need to learn to relish the whole season and delay the temptation often posed by our worldly conditioning to “get on with it.”
There are so many facets to the mystery of Christ’s resurrection that one day in that light will never exhaust its meaning for us. Like a well-cut diamond, we need to turn ourselves in many directions to see all the color and angles of insight resurrection can bring to our life. The Risen Lord appeared in many guises in the scriptural accounts, and He was often not recognized for Himself at first. A ghost, a gardener, a cook on the beach, a fellow traveler on the road were all descriptions of the Lord Jesus before the disciples’ eyes were opened to see something more in the person they met. They listened to His words and heard the Word of God for them. They looked more closely and saw the wounds on His hands, the broken bread of the Eucharist, and the gift of the Spirit bringing peace and forgiveness. If we take time to notice, it is amazing what wonders appear in what we thought were just common-place encounters.
With Christ’s light comes also the warmth of God’s love, a love that transforms this sometimes cold and harsh world by what it moves us to do and say. An encouraging word to the discouraged, a thoughtful gesture to the forgotten, a gift to those in need, a job for someone down and out, a visit to the sick, a moment for the lonely, all these bring warmth to two persons’ lives, the giver and the gifted. Resurrection moves us to share what we have and who we are with others who may have less and so think less of themselves. This warm light doesn’t change the pigment in our skin. It changes the way we color each other. No longer are we problems for each other, competitors for limited resources or strangers with sinister intentions. We become brothers and sisters in one Lord, and a different kind of global warming increases with a new sign of God’s love.
Baxter takes it slowly on a sunny day to bask in the light and warmth. He’s a pro at easy living. Let Christ make your life easier by lingering in His light. Soak in the warmth of God’s love. Take your time through the Easter season. You might be surprised by what you see and experience — a world made new, one encounter at a time.
