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Morning Devotion for the Season of Easter

May 19, 2023

The Invitatory

Alleluia! Christ is risen.

The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia!

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son: and to the Holy Ghost;

As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be: world without end. Amen.

Reading: John 16:20-23

Very truly, I tell you, you will weep and mourn, but the world will rejoice; you will have pain, but your pain will turn into joy. When a woman is in labour, she has pain, because her hour has come. But when her child is born, she no longer remembers the anguish because of the joy of having brought a human being into the world. So you have pain now; but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you. On that day you will ask nothing of me. Very truly, I tell you, if you ask anything of the Father in my name, he will give it to you.

Meditation: Jo Ann B. Jones

Mysteries are important because they call attention to matters that are usually both fascinating and troubling to the human mind- unexplained questions and events. Mysteries teach us how to think. The substance of a mystery keeps us engaged . In the modern world we spend too much time trying to know and solve everything. We spend too much time seeking knowledge. We risk overlooking the importance of mystery in life, of not knowing. We have even forgotten the magic of mystery. Mystery may arouse a sense that there is more to life than what one can see, understand, speak of, or know. It describes a sense that there is something more in life. In this way, mystery as if opens a door to something beyond life.

Probably on this very night mystery is the last thing that the disciples wish to understand. There is much that is mysterious in this passage. It is helpful to us to call attention to verse 16. It happens to be the key to understanding Jesus’ message. What we are called to grapple with at first is the meaning of Jesus’ return. If heard in the context of the Last Supper, the immediate understanding is that Jesus will die. The disciples will not see him, but then, in a little while they will see him. After his burial he will rise and appear to them. And there is an account of Jesus’ post resurrection appearances. It would seem that the response of the disciples to these appearances is mixed, though there is a measure of joy in their reactions. Do these post resurrection appearances truly offer a joy that one can hold onto?

The answer to that question calls us to consider the meaning of hearing Jesus’ words within the full context of the Gospel. The promises of Jesus are now fulfilled and in what is given to all Christians; that is, to all who believe in Jesus and not exclusively to those who were actually present during his life. We are called to regard “seeing” more broadly.

It would seem that before the disciples can adequately appreciate Jesus’ intention to reassure them he goes on to speak in a way that they cannot immediately grasp the two gifts that will be theirs in “the little while.” In a seemingly perverse way, the disciples’ joy is related to Jesus’ death. It is a joy that is triumphant because it arises from suffering, as does the joy that follows when a woman gives birth. In time, through the presence of the Holy Spirit, the disciples will grow in their understanding of Jesus’ full ministry. They will find joy that results from the recognition that Jesus has conquered death and from his abiding presence in the Holy Spirit.

Given the unique occurrence of the resurrection, through which Jesus “conquered sin, put death to flight, and gave us the hope of everlasting life,” the need to recognize and appreciate mystery is writ large. Mystery means the acceptance of things we do not know or understand, or control. We can go even further and say that we cannot know. Mystery is an awareness that there is something more.

The Lord's Prayer

Our Father, who art in heaven,

hallowed be thy Name.

Thy kingdom come, thy will be done,

on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our trespasses,

as we forgive those who trespass against us.

And lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil.

For thine is the Kingdom, the power and the glory,

for ever and ever. Amen.

O God our King, by the resurrection of your Son Jesus Christ on the first day of the week, you conquered sin, put death to flight , and gave us the hope of everlasting life. Redeem all our days by this victory; forgive our sins, banish our fears, make us bold to praise you and to do your will; and steel us to wait for the consummation of your kingdom on the last great Day, through the same Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.