“Late that same day, the first day of the week, when the disciples were together behind locked doors for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them. ‘Peace be with you!’ He said; then he showed them his hands and his side. On seeing the Lord the disciples were overjoyed. Jesus said again, ‘Peace be with you! As the Father sent me, so I send you.’ Then he breathed on them, saying, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit! If you forgive anyone’s sins, they are forgiven; if you pronounce them unforgiven, unforgiven they remain.’ ” (John 20: 19-23, The Oxford Study Bible, Revised English Translation)

Today I visited a one-eyed Red-Tailed Hawk. As I stood there and read the story of it’s wounding and dealt with my distress, I thought about the story of the last days of the life of Christ. While I watched the hawk in its cage, I wonder at our wounds and sadness. Sometimes the sadness leaves us unable to see things clearly. It leaves us not in a position of wholeness.

Then I think about Jesus on the cross, bearing wounds for us so long ago. As humankind, we can identify with this image; those times when we have been “crucified” for one reason or another. We may have done it to ourselves, or worse still, the chances are that we have done it to others. This bird obviously bore wounds from someone else’s need to vent their darker side. Perhaps it was an innocent accident, perhaps not.

With this scripture, I can just visualize the disciples behind those locked doors. These last few days of Jesus’ arrest, trial and crucifixion have been terrible (John 18-20). How long did it take before the disciples got up the courage to gather together again? It has been a real struggle. Then I can just imagine their surprise when Jesus appears and greets them. But after he proves to them that he is alive, the very first information that the follower receive is that they are being “sent.” What could this possibly mean?

With my imagination, I can see the “breath” of the Holy Spirit. It is as if the room was cold and dark and Jesus is speaking aloud. Bursts of vapor, shapeless yet formed, moving toward and into the surprised mouths of the disciples. After the mandate of the “sending” and with the gift of the Holy Spirit comes the primary instruction: forgiveness. Yet the disciples are to not forget the blade of its opposite, unforgiveness. The condition of the heart fosters the condition of the soul. In order to deal with people’s souls, followers of Christ must first address the state of the heart.

What does this mean for us as Christians? Can we forgive the person who put out the eye of this hawk? Can we forgive someone who harms another? Can we forgive ourselves for those that we hurt in some way? Are we able to forgive ourselves for our fears and remove the cage that we often build around our hearts? Can we truly understand that God has restored our “eye”/vision through unconditional love, through Jesus Christ? God wants our hearts and lives changed, full of forgiveness. This is where we are most able to give and receive love and be like Jesus. This is where we live out the Easter story, are most truly healed, and are whole. The budding begins…

In this issue of ecumininet™ online!, our writers offer different perspectives of Lent and Easter: Struggle and Surprise. During this time of remembering the last days of the life of Christ and the Resurrection, we wonder. We wonder about the meaning of Christ in our life and the lives and feelings of the disciples. We wonder about the events that have forever changed our understanding of God and shaped our own life.

This is where Easter is personal. It is interwoven with the story of our lives. We are given the power to share our story with God and those who most need to be a part of it.

Janine C. Hagan, Editor-in-Chief

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