Easter Message
Christ is truly risen !
“The first Christians made the resurrection of Christ the first affirmation:
“God raised him from the dead.”
If the Easter proclamation has placed itself at the heart of faith, it is because the risen Christ is also a “resurrecting” Christ … Jesus heals the sick and raises them up. The early Christians saw clearly that the Easter message was not only a message from beyond the grave but a message that perceives how, at the heart of life, God comes to surprise us and gives us the strength to overcome the failures and misfortunes, those little deaths that we go through.
It should be said and repeated that Easter is the feast of the Risen Christ, that is to say, of Christ who raises us up… I believe and I discern in my life and the lives of others the signs of the Risen Christ.1
We are called to life
In the midst of this reality that makes us feel anxious; of the pains of the world that wound us, we are once again called to life, called to roll away the stone, where death has dwelt, to let ourselves be surprised by the signs of a presence that heals us.
Yes, we see and believe that “Christ is risen” in us today through the many gestures, the many choices that are made around us and in our communities, so that life may prevail over death, and that love may break down barriers.
The Risen One shows Himself to us in many ways:
We see Him leaning from balconies and windows in a common applause that brings us together and fills us with hope,
We see Him heal, console, seek how to relieve loneliness and how to inhabit it with tenderness and care,
We see Him wanting to shorten distances, to connect through presence and greeting,
We see Him showing solidarity, risking His space to welcome those who have been stranded at the border, or inventing ways to share bread with those who, in quarantine, have nothing.
In the congregation
Life also circulates in the congregation! In the Territories and in the communities, the call is to share: how is life organized within the communities? How is health of each one, especially that of our older sisters? How is the ‘lockdown’ experienced? Do we express it in solidarity by taking care of ourselves, by respecting the instructions, and in doing so taking care of others?
Here at the nursing home of the Mother House several deaths have occurred from the coronavirus, or from natural causes. Unfortunately families cannot be present for their removal to the funeral home, so the General Council, the sisters from the Membrey community, together with Fr. Dehouck the chaplain and some staff members, have tried to be close in our support by participating in a simple celebration of ‘Adieu’ in the main courtyard.
We have communications from congregation to congregation, and especially for us the communication with the Auxiliaries de la Charité, with the Andas, and with our lay friends … and also many other words of support shared between us all.
Painful but hopeful reality
There is also the pain of seeing difficult family situations because of this confinement, and on the other hand the joy of families rediscovering how to be together in a different rhythm. Mutual support is being exercised, like those activists of the “Mission Ouvrière” who communicated the richness of life of some people who died as a result of the virus.
On a larger scale, we are discovering that the researchers have become more united and have succeeded in coordinating in just two weeks, whereas in the case of the Ebola epidemic it took several months before the laboratories’ resistance was overcome because they were in competition. A questioning, an awareness is growing. Will we accept to learn to live differently? Will countries commit themselves more radically to save the planet and humanity? We believe this is vital. We hope so. And on this Easter Sunday, together we can announce it:
Christ is truly risen !
We see Him … He becomes a companion. Universal Brother resurrecting us!
Let us be women of hope. This is our mission today.
In communion with each one of you
M.Françoise-Dominique-Mary-Luz Myriam-Carmen
(General Council of the Little Sisters of the Assumption)
[1] Interview of Daniel Marguerat, protestant theologian – La Croix-L’Hebdo 4-04-2020