The verbs of the morning

Fr. Livio Tonello, director

The day begins with dawn, the time that marks the beginning of twilight before sunrise. For some people it is the most beautiful moment of the day but for some others it is just the egress from the world of dreams. The verbs “to wake up” and “to get up” are the expression of what we do every morning. Waking up does not depend upon our will as we open our eyes naturally. We move from sleep to wakefulness without realising it.

We have the feeling of passing from death to life, from an unconscious state to a conscious one. Getting up, however, involves an exercise of will... and is sometimes very demanding. A will supported by a sense of duty, by the desire to do something or by the responsibility of our engagements. Did the same thing happen when Jesus was resurrected? In the New Testament writings there are some expressions such as: “God raised him from the dead” (Acts 3,15), “who was handed over for our transgressions and was raised for our justification” (Romans 4,25), “For if we believe that Jesus died and rose, so too will God, through Jesus, bring with him those who have fallen asleep” (Thessalonians 4,14).

The meaning of the verbs “to rise from the dead”, and “to bring back to life” is very profound: they indicate the intervention of the Father on the Son, the proper action of the vital Spirit on Jesus. This action is the sign of the divine power as in the beginning of creation. Everything happened through an initiative of grace, a liberating initiative in favour of the Crucifix. The event of the Resurrection brings us to life and to new possibilities.

The Resurrection is a new creation, the foundation of the Christian faith and it means a new beginning for all Christians. As we are all waiting for the end of the pandemic this year the Resurrection takes on a really special meaning. This tragedy, that has put into evidence the priceless value of the gift of health and has revealed how fragile everyday life is, can be a precious opportunity to change our life and to discern what is really important.

The light and the joy of God shine before us and He guides us along a new path. At the dawn of two thousand years ago, an endless day began as we read in the hymn of Vespers of the liturgy of the Hours on Wednesday: “My Lord, creator of heaven and of earth, ever-burning dawn, endless day”. The light of our daily “resurrection” will help us to go beyond the limits of our everyday life, of our days marked by dawns and dusks.

The desire to rise again after this long time of suffering and anguish is also an act of faith in the name of Jesus’ victory over death and evil. He has risen, happy Resurrection day!