Entering The Joy Of The Resurrection In A Time Of Pandemic

The Resurrected Christ, an icon by Marie-Paul Farran, O.S.B.

Entering The Joy Of The Resurrection In A Time Of Pandemic

It’s Easter. Christ is risen. It’s a time of joy and gladness. Or at least it’s supposed to be. We celebrated Easter by Zoom this year and it just wasn’t the same. We didn’t feel that same fullness of joy. We were not surrounded physically by our brothers and sisters in Christ celebrating the resurrection. But we did feel Easter joy, our hearts were warmed, we celebrated and rejoiced. 

But now, a few days after Easter, the joy is fading. Eastertide is being overwhelmed by working from home, people dying alone in hospital beds, economic hardship, and politics of division and madness. How can we enter into and live in the joy of the resurrection in this time of pandemic? We want to rejoice, but to be honest we don’t have it within ourselves to remain joyful.

Jesus rises from the dead with joy not only to be reunited with his disciples, but he is also filled with joy to come to us, today, each and every one of us, right where we are. He loves us and delights in us, he is so glad to be with us. In the challenging places we find ourselves this Eastertide, he comes to us and he is filled with joy. And being filled with joy, he offers his joy to us. He is real and his joy is real. We don’t have to work harder to feel joyful. We don’t have to manufacture our own joy. Jesus has so much joy and he invites us to share in it with him.

Enter into the joy of the Lord! See Jesus full of joy and let his joy become contagious. Let his joy flow through you. May you be caught up in his joy, filled with a joy that is not your own, but becomes yours, through him.

Become these lines from Joseph Telow’s poem Free Indeed. 

You make me feel beside myself with surprise

My spirit glistens with your rising

I smile and smile with you

I am drowning in the laughter of your friends

Jesus is with you, welcoming you to joyful celebration. Even in the midst of your sorrows, even in the midst of this pandemic, he offers you his joy. Open the door. Welcome his joy in. And live a life full of his joy, the joy of the resurrection.

© Dale Gish 2020. All Rights Reserved.

This reflection comes out of the prayers of the Ignatian Exercises. If you are interested in praying the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius with me starting in September, please contact me.

An Ignatian Easter Prayer by Joseph Tetlow

I’m excited to be leading two groups of people through the Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius of Loyola this year and we have just started praying the theme of the resurrection. I find myself inspired by Joseph Tetlow, a Jesuit master of the Exercises. He has written some great prayer-poems, and in this Easter season, I offer you this one.

Free Indeed

You did a marvel, Lord Jesus Christ,
and make me feel beside myself in surprise.

My spirit glistens with Your rising.

I smile and smile with You,
I am drowning in the laughter of Your friends.

You have won, Lord, we know You have won!

You have defeated all the worst that we could do,

each alone and all together.

You crushed the power of darkness and of death

to walk peacefully again in our flesh,

now and forever.

Come to me, great Lord of life,

as You come to all your friends.

Send me to console those around me who hurt.

Come, and send Your friends into this daily world

to labor full of hope for the Reign of God.

-Joseph Tetlow -Choosing Christ In The World (A guide to the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius.)

If you are interested in praying the Ignatian Exercises with me starting in September, please contact me. You can also read more here.

Resurrection of Jesus Icon

Resurrection: An Ignatian Guided Prayer

Resurrection: An Ignatian Guided prayer

It is Easter Sunday morning and you are there at the tomb before daybreak and you are allowed to experience the resurrection.  

The Father and the Spirit come to the tomb, to raise you from the dead.  They are experiencing great loss. Jesus is dead and they miss him. The angel rolls away the stone and they enter the tomb.

The Father proclaims, “Death, you are defeated. Death, you are broken. Death, release your prey.”  The Spirit breathes life into your body. They unwrap the grave clothes from your body. You open your eyes.  You sit up. You feel new life in your veins. Death leaves your body. You are filled with Joy. The Trinity embraces with joy, together again, separated no more. The world is right again.  All the pain and suffering and injury are healed in you, leaving only scars. And you are filled with love, love for your people, love everywhere. You have conquered death. You have won the victory. 

(Now the scene shifts as Jesus comes to you.)

Jesus turns to you and says, “you have accompanied me in my passion and death. You died with me, now receive new life with me.” You run to him and you embrace. He says, “I love you. It is so good to see you again. It’s so good to be alive and to be with you again.”

And Jesus says, “It’s good to be alive.  My dying was terrible. I was abandoned and forsaken. The whole world turned against me and crushed me. Evil triumphed and destroyed me. See I still have the marks. Bitter death overcame me, but now I am raised in power to new life.” 

And you say to Jesus, “Oh, Jesus, it has been so hard to see you suffer and walk this path.  There is an ocean of grief in me. It’s hard to even take in that you are alive. Part of me still suffers with you in your passion.” You begin to weep.  Jesus embraces you again and says, “I give you my joy.” 

Suddenly you are filled with and overwhelmed with joy.  His joy fills and overflows you. Everything is good; everything is right. You stand there for a long time, just being together.  Your heart is filled with peace. Reunited with Jesus.

Take some time to talk with Jesus. Say what is on your heart and mind.

© Dale Gish 2020. All Rights Reserved.

If you are interested in praying the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius with me starting in September, please contact me.

Christ's Descent into Hell Fresco at Monastery of Saint-Antoine-le-Grand

Resurrection: An Ignatian Meditation

Resurrection: an Ignatian meditation by Dale Gish

Easter Sunday morning. The Father and the Spirit come to the tomb, to raise you from the dead. They experience great loss. An angel rolls away the stone and they enter the tomb.

The Father proclaims, “Death you are defeated. Death you are broken. Death release your prey.” The Spirit breathes life into your body. They unwrap the grave clothes from your body. You open your eyes. You sit up. You feel new life in your veins. Death leaves your body. You are filled with Joy. The Trinity embraces with joy, together again, separated no more. The world is right again. All the pain and suffering and injury are healed in you, leaving only scars. And you are filled with love, love for your people, love everywhere. You have conquered death. You have won the victory.

Jesus, you turn to me and say, “you have accompanied me in my passion and death. You died with me, now receive new life with me.” I run to you and we embrace. Jesus, I love you. It is so good to see you alive. I can hardly believe it. We are together again.

And you say, “It’s good to be alive. My dying was terrible. I was abandoned and forsaken. The whole world turned against me and crushed me. Evil triumphed and destroyed me. See I still have the marks. Bitter death overcame me, but now I am raised in power to new life.”

Oh, Jesus, it has been so hard to see you suffer and walk this path. There is an ocean of grief in me. It’s hard to even take in that you are alive. Part of me still suffers with you in your passion. I begin to weep. You embrace me again and you say, “I give you my joy.”

Suddenly I am filled with and overwhelmed with joy. Your joy fills and overflows me. Everything is good; everything is right. We stand there a long time, just being together. My heart is filled with peace. Reunited with you.

© Dale Gish 2019. All Rights Reserved.

This prayer was inspired by the Ignatian Exercises. If you are interested in praying the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius with me starting in September, please contact me.