Finding the real self
THIS YEAR will never be forgotten for a long, long time! And for Christians, the Liturgical observances and celebrations of both Lent and Easter in these trying circumstances might have helped us to consider aspects of Christian worship and behaviour that are usually lost in the scurry of activities that give more importance to the ‘outer person’. Truly, crisis has evolved into a kairos moment, an opportunity to behave differently according to our beliefs.
Christians are accustomed to gather together to hear God’s Word and to break the bread. And yet, we were advised differently; stay in your homes and keep your distance, something so strange for Caribbean people. But, positively considered, the Church, through those anomalies, stands to benefit from the coronavirus crisis. The ‘Marthacentred Church’ in the West was forced to become more like Mary sitting at the feet of the Master, listening to His every Word. And in that listening, coupled with some measure of contemplation, the real Christ might have met the ‘real me’ and the ‘real you’.
The ‘real me’ and the ‘real you’, my dear fellow saints, is what is to be found in the Paschal Mystery. The Apostle Paul reminds us quite poignantly: “If Christ be not risen...vain is your faith.” (1 Cor 15:14) Yes, the Resurrection of Jesus identifies us, his disciples; it is the guarantee of the hope we hold of our own resurrection, even now, as we die daily to our superficial self so that the real self might be revealed. This is what St Paul implies when he says, “Be intent on things above rather than on things of earth. After all, you have died! Your life is now hidden with Christ in God.” (Col 3: 2-3) With Jesus all of humanity died, and with Him we have risen to newness of life, to a new way of living the ‘real me’ and the ‘real you’.
At the Easter Vigil, and at the Easter Sunday Mass, we are asked to renew our baptism promises. In this act of spiritual renewal, we are called to renounce Satan and all his empty promises; we are also called to renew our commitment so that our ‘real life’ can be ‘hidden with Christ in God’. We must not be naive, for to live the resurrected life, in imitation of the Risen Christ, is extremely difficult. A flashback to the Crucifixion scene will bring us back to reality. The words of Jesus, “Father, forgive them; they know not what they do,” (Lk 23:34) is a very tall order for us to follow when we are maligned and ill-treated. But is it possible to forgive in our real-life situation? Yes, but we have to ‘die’ to the superficial self that desires to take revenge and not forgive, all because of pride. With God’s grace, we find or discover our ‘real self’ hidden with Christ in God.