Dying to Live

It is in dying to self that we are born to eternal life. – St. Francis

Today is Easter Sunday, the holiest day of the year for Christians throughout the world, as a celebration of the resurrection of Jesus from the tomb on the third day after his crucifixion.

You may ask, as I have over the years, whether it is necessary to believe that Jesus actually emerged from the tomb and “walked among the living” in order to fully embrace the spiritual significance of this holy day. Of course, the facts of this much-heralded miracle cannot be verified. There were only a handful of witnesses to the empty tomb and even less who saw a “resurrected Jesus.” But do facts really establish spiritual faith, or can they be, as Cervantes asserted, “enemies of the truth”?

Spiritual understanding necessarily requires a relinquishing of sense-based perception which can be a barrier to knowing the deeper reality that lies beyond the physical appearances of life. After all, the spiritual life is about seeking to realize that dimension of life that is formless and transcendent so any insistence on verifiable evidence may be rationally sound, but spiritually feckless. In the biblical story, Jesus asks Mary who came to the tomb, “Why are looking for the living among the dead?” This is a Master of Life guiding Mary to open the eyes of her heart and perceive that which is neither defined nor bound by material facts and physical laws. Whereas Mary was looking for a deceased human body, she was invited to recognize a greater knowing of Life that is infinite and eternal. This I believe was Jesus’ primary message and mission, to instill in us an awareness of an inner dimension of Being that is not rooted in time and space limitations but infinite, timeless, and formless and is the very essence of us, as Life Itself. This is what he referred to as “being born again,” to enter into the realm of our true nature which he called the “Kingdom of Heaven.”

The paradox of this new life, although called a rebirth, must be preceded by death of the old self. The self of us that is identified with a material paradigm of life, that believes that who we are is subject to the vagaries and vicissitudes of life events and circumstances must be released if we are to be spiritually liberated. When we call off the search for happiness and wellbeing in the external world of circumstances and turn our awareness around, like the prodigal son, we will find the Loving Father (Presence) at home within us.

On this Easter Sunday, we might ask ourselves, what am looking for and where do I expect to find it? Is my search going to yield a deeper sense of peace and happiness or merely add another layer of separation between me and God? Am I moving closer to realizing that life does not have to be a certain way for me to be okay or am I deepening the illusion that happiness is found in temporal objects, situations, and sensations?

There is another way to see life. The enlightened perspective never comes to those who look at life myopically. Just as Mary Magdalene was temporarily blinded by the facts of Jesus' death until her eyes were opened to behold what an earthly tomb could not contain, the resurrected Christ.

Life situations are part of the changeable landscape of our lives; they are not the eternal Life we have in God. True Life cannot be created or destroyed. Therefore, we can release all forms, no matter how precious to us, and still have a life, even an abundant life, as Jesus promised and demonstrated.

There's life after divorce.

There's life after a major illness.

There's life after job loss or bankruptcy.

There's life after the death of a loved one.

Will it be difficult, or painful? Perhaps. Yet life continues and offers us new opportunities to express the irrepressible life and love within us. Jesus’ legacy to us is to remember that we don't need to stay in the tomb. Through the power of Divine Love, forgiveness, and an abiding faith in God's presence no matter what, we too can be lifted up, and we too can bear witness to the Christ spirit that lives on through it all!

Happy Easter.

Larry