Baxter has shown many different moments in the years we have shared together. I have written about many of them. His antics with objects he makes into his toys, his penetrating stare, his cries for food, his crazy races through the house seemingly without purpose, these are all part of Baxter’s repertoire of feline fancy. But sometimes, Baxter doesn’t do anything unusual or extraordinary. He just sits and looks at me with simple dignity, or he lies down and sleeps in a deep calm and peace. He conveys a sense of being right with the world and knowing it. At these times, he is a creature at ease with himself and inviting others to this same place of perfect fit with life. Although he has no pedigree, Baxter carries a beauty in such moments that is precious and remarkable.
I picture the Resurrected Christ in this same sense. We can’t explain the workings of how the resurrection happened. It is beyond our imaginations to conceive and beyond our sensibilities to fully express. The Church helps us with the rituals of the Easter Vigil to make a stab at it. Fire, light, water, proclamations, white garments for the newly baptized, bells and music with all the stops pulled out, create an atmosphere where life conquering the forces of death can be seen and heard. Still we crave for more. The liturgy ends, and we want to take what we have experienced into our homes, work places and social activities. We struggle to tell others what we have seen and heard here.
The first disciples had the same problem. “The Lord is Risen. He has appeared to Simon,” they announced. But how did they help others to understand. They opened the scriptures so that they could see God’s hand moving towards this moment in the long history of salvation. They shared what they had in common, so that no one had to worry about being hungry, clothed or sheltered. They pronounced God’s forgiveness to those who were truly sorry for their sins, and they healed others in the power of the Risen Lord. “See how they love one another.” became the hallmark of their identity and the sign to others of the resurrected life they knew. We can’t explain it, but we can show it in the way we order our lives with space for God among us.
This is a beautiful moment when it happens to come together. It is rarely planned and most often spontaneous, like the resurrection itself, but we know when we have seen, heard and been a part of it. It provokes our gratitude and praise. We are caught in the moment and see something beautiful that penetrates all of life. It brings calm, peace and assurance. Nothing captures it well except the ancient acclamation, “Alleluia”.
Baxter and I wish you a beautiful Easter moment to signal a lifetime of Easter grace.
