April 12, 2020

“Jesus, knowing that his time had come to depart to the Father, having loved his own he loved them to the end.” John 13:1

“Love runs deeper than any distance.”  That’s what Judy told me at 5:30 a.m. Monday morning.  Our paths crossed on our morning walk.  The brief conversation carried us to the tragedy of those dying alone during this time.  Judy said that she didn’t believe that anyone every dies alone, but rather that God is with them.  Then she recounted a personal story of a woman whose dying desire was to be reunited with her son.  They had been estranged for many years, and so her simple death-bed wish was to be reconciled with him.  Even if her son had wanted the same thing, time and distance prevented it from being possible.  And  so inspired by the Spirit Judy asked her, “Do you love your son?”  Without missing a beat the woman replied, “Of course I do”.  “I’m sure he knows that”, Judy said, and then assured her that her motherly love for her son was reaching across the divide that separated them.  “Love runs deeper than distance”, Judy said.  Those words seemed to give her peace, according to Judy, and the woman died shortly thereafter.

Easter love is like Christmas snow; the kind responsible for making Frosty the Snowman come to life.  Easter love is different in that it runs much deeper than snow! Easter love is magical and mysterious and marvelous.  It makes that which seems impossible, possible.  It makes people who are sad, happy.  It makes people who are dead, alive.  It replaces fear with love.

This week I read through the passion narrative of St. John beginning at chapter 12. The narrative found here begins six days before the death of Jesus.  I had read this chapter and the ones that follow countless times before, but this time I was met with something I had never realized before; John repeatedly emphasizes love.

The account begins with Jesus is at the house of Mary and Martha.  Guess who else is there?  Their brother, Lazarus, the one whom Jesus loved and had raised from the dead.  Easter love runs deeper than death.  Mary pours out expensive oil on Jesus’ feet, but it is the love of God poured out in and through Jesus upon others that accounts for the miracle of love over death.  Not surprisingly this Mary is the first to encounter Easter love in the living flesh on that first Easter morning.  We hear a lot—maybe too much—about God’s wrath being poured out upon Jesus as he dies on the cross.  I believe we need to hear a lot more about God’s love being poured out through Jesus as he not only dies on the cross, but rises from the dead.  This is after all the clear message John conveys in the third chapter of his gospel—“God so LOVED the world . . . “  St. Paul says that there is absolutely nothing in all of creation that can separate us from the LOVE of God in Christ Jesus; not even death.  Easter love runs deeper than death.

Therefore it obviously follows that Easter love also runs deeper than any disease.  The loving act of washing the disciple’s feat is symbolic of how Jesus cleanses us and makes us pure.  Therefore disease can’t touch us!  Yes, it can hurt our body, maybe even causing us to die.  But disease can’t kill our souls, our spirits.  In fact disease strengthens us, for in the midst of illness and weakness we are healed by God’s grace and love.  “It is when I am weak that I am strong”, says Paul.  How true!  Easter love runs deeper than any disease! 

And of course, Easter love runs deeper than distance.  How hard it is to be away from family and loved ones today!  Yes, it’s nice to be able to phone, FaceTime and connect in other virtual ways.  But though it is the next best thing to being there—it still ain’t the same as being there!  But the Easter love of God in Christ Jesus runs deeper than any distance.  Consider these beautiful words written at the end of Jesus’ prayer in John 17: “(I pray that) The love with which You have loved me may be with them, and I in them.”  We have been buried with Christ and raised with Him in love.  Christ lives in and loves each of us, and we live in Him!  Therefore the love of Christ unites us not only to himself but also to one another.  Easter love runs deeper than distance.

I leave you these inspired and Love-filled words from the First Epistle of St. John.  “In this was manifested the love of God toward us; God sent His only begotten Son into the world that we might live through Him.   This is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.  Beloved, if God so loved us we ought to love one another.  No man has ever seen God, but if we love one another GOD DWELLS IN US and his love is perfected in us.  And we know that He dwells in us, because He has given us His Holy Spirit.”

A Love-filled Easter to each of you!