Fraternity-Testvériség, 2011 (89. évfolyam, 1. szám)
2011-01-01 / 1. szám
Fraternity | Testvériség Easter Greeting of the Hungarian Reformed Church in America Dear Sisters and Brothers, Do you want to hear the best Easter message? Hungarian communities in the United States, members of the Hungarian Reformed Federation, church members, people all around the world, open your hearts, and be the first who receive this most important truth of your life. Matthew 28:1-10. To say the holiday greeting of the season: “Happy Easter!” is not enough. Living with twenty-first century anxieties, we have to hear these welcome words at this Easter: “Do not be afraid. ” This was also the Christmas message of the angels. We are, to be honest, often afraid. The world around us is a frightening place; it has probably always been a frightening place, but we are especially aware of our own fears: illness or injury, financial ruin, natural disaster, accidents, and terrorism. The world within us is also a frightening place: we are afraid of losing our loved ones, failing to meet our aspirations, disappointing our families, losing our jobs, and having our shortcomings and foibles revealed to others. We are the ones who are afraid; we are the ones who need to be reassured. We need to hear these words of the angel: “Do not be afraid. ” More importantly, though, He is telling the disciples — and telling us — not to be afraid when we discover that Jesus is missing. Most of us are frightened when we discover that God is missing from our lives. We want to turn to God when we need answers, want comfort, or seek forgiveness. We want to know that God is there, even if we are not very actively engaged in a relationship with God. It is profoundly disturbing to think that God is not there. Sometimes we feel the absence of God in our lives. This is called the “dark night of the soul, ” when prayers were not answered, the presence of the Holy Spirit was not felt, the sense of community was muted or absent. The lost sense of God’s presence does return, but not with angel fanfare. Instead, it gently reinserts itself into life with small moments of holiness and brief glimpses of the Divine. Faced with the emptiness of a dark night of the soul, we are grateful for the angel ’s words: “Do not be afraid. ” But the next time we hear these words, they come from Jesus, and now they are puzzling. Why should we be afraid when what we are longing for returns? Why should we be anxious when the light returns and the dark night is banished? Why should we hesitate when our deepest desire is being fulfilled — when the one we love and follow has returned to us? The answer comes in the oldest and most basic of Christian statements of faith: Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again. Just pay attention to the verb tenses: has died, is risen, will come again. Time changed forever on Easter morning; that is the great mystery of Easter. Jesus is no longer a human being, living in a particular time and in a particular place; he no longer dwells in the past tense. The Risen Christ lives in all times and in all places and promises to be with us into the future. Now that we are Easter people, now that we know that Christ is risen and walks with us, we are quite reasonably frightened by the obligations of Christian discipleship. Now that we know that compassion is more powerful than hate, that courage is more powerful than fear, and that love is more powerful than death — now that we know all of this, we have no place to hide. And that is precisely when Jesus meets us and greets us with the words we most need to hear — “Do not be afraid. Do not be afraid of what you are being asked to do. Do not be afraid of being my people. Do not be afraid to share the good news with others. Do not be afraid to show compassion and courage and love, even in the face of hate and danger and death. Do not be afraid. For Christ is risen; He is risen indeed. ” After, if you said that, you can greet other people on this holiday: Happy Easter in Christ’s love. Sándor Szabó, Bishop of the Hungarian Reformed Church in America 3
