Easter can be complicated…

For those who have questions and doubts about the theology we were taught, and the historical impact of expressions of Christianity that caused great harm in the world, all in the name of Jesus and ‘love’. When today we see forms of Christianity that use Jesus to justify treating others without dignity, humanity or love, choosing violence. For those of us who search for the beauty and profound meaning in the life, death and presence of Jesus, Easter can bring up a lot of cognitive dissonance.

Yet there are different ways to interpret the bible and many theologians offer alternative viewpoints. A few years ago, I spent 9 months meditating on the scriptures leading up to Easter through the Ignatian Exercises. After hours of sitting with the scriptures, I could sense only the immense love and compassion of God - and Jesus - for those who were suffering in the world; past, present and future. That Jesus lived and died in solidarity with them – and in such a public way – says to those who suffer, you matter, you are not alone, I see you, I am with you.

The Easter story is the journey of the wrongly accused Jesus through a trial full of lies, public torture and his killing by crucifixion. A very deliberate execution of a man a who loved and empowered the oppressed and marginalised, not just a punishment for him challenging the social, political, religious systems at the time, but also as a warning to anyone else who might think about doing the same. Easter day, Jesus appears to Mary Magdalene, and later to his disciples, greeting them warmly, in a body that bore the wounds of his torture and execution. He invites Thomas to touch these wounds to help him believe he was there. I often wonder if these wounds were to carry the witness of the cruelty in the world and that even when life continues, it does not take away the reality of suffering. My meditations on Easter saw Jesus living and dying in solidarity with the abused, the oppressed, the wrongly accused, the marginalised, the dehumanised. The resurrected and scarred body of Jesus was to be a witness to remember those who suffer… even as we live on. To not forget. 

Easter Day is about recognising paradox.

The definition of paradox is a “situation or statement that seems impossible or is difficult to understand because it contains two opposite facts or characteristics” (Cambridge English Dictionary).

That even in amidst the most terrible there can be moments of joy. That amongst death there can be new life. In times of chaos, confusion and suffering, there can be both terror and beauty, grief and joy, hopelessness and humour (dark humour can help lift the spirit and connect us). Paradox holds space for multiple truths. Paradox helps us hold the tension in contradictions, without feeling the need to resolve them. It doesn’t erase pain or suffering, but can help us live with it, rather than being overwhelmed by it.

Easter offers us a sacred holding place for paradox, for both life and death, one does not deny the other. Not to deny the horror or violence, but to name it and hold space for our grief, our disbelief, our anger, our exhaustion, whilst also leaning into what it means to keep loving in the midst of it all.

I have found the contemplative path helpful for this, it helps us tend to our inner worlds, increase our awareness, become more conscious and more connected, to know love, to grow, to gently transform our pain rather than pass it on. We can learn to be present in the world without being overwhelmed by it. To live out the teaching of Jesus, to treat others as we want to be treated even when it is costly, because we recognise the cost of not doing so.  Jesus teaches us to name what is real, to mourn what is lost, and to resist numbing or turning away, even when it hurts. He teaches us to lean into love.

On my Easter Online Retreat, I invited people to reflect on two mystical/contemplative texts, one encouraging us to lean into the discomfort of suffering in the world and the other to trust love. We held the paradox of the words of Julian of Norwich, “all shall be well” (after she experienced much suffering and loss) - alongside the Franciscan blessing, “May you be blessed with discomfort” (full text below). To read both is to live in the sacred tension between truth-telling and hope. These two truths don’t cancel each other out, they hold each other. Discomfort keeps us awake to what needs to change, while “all shall be well” roots us in an anchoring love that sustains us when in the face of suffering, when change is slow or difficult. It can help keep us from being overwhelmed or burnt out.

So Happy Easter to all those who struggle with the messages you have been taught about Easter, that no longer sit well with you. Or those who have experienced spiritual bypassing using scriptures. Maybe it’s an opportunity to let die old or false images of God and allow something new and more beautiful to emerge. I hope you find other re-imaginers, thinkers, contemplatives, activists, who tell an alternative story, a way of Easter that helps us, not hinders our desire to be a loving presence in the world.

This Easter Day, I hold onto the Jesus with his wounds, his commitment to non-violence and seeing all life as precious and valuable, who challenged systems of oppression and showed a way of living in love amongst great suffering.

If you would like to join one of my FAITH SHIFT GROUPS, to grapple with big questions of life and shifting faith with others read more here and get in touch.

If you would like a copy of my Easter Retreat (recording from the day - available for a voluntary donation) email me at livelightdwelldeep@gmail.com

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 Julian of Norwich

"All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well,"

Franciscan Blessing

May God bless you with discomfort at easy answers, half-truths, and superficial relationships, so that you may live deep within your heart.

May God bless you with anger at injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people, so that you may work for justice, freedom, and peace.

May God bless you with tears to shed for those who suffer from pain, rejection, starvation, and war, so that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and turn their pain into joy.

And may God bless you with enough foolishness to believe that you can make a difference in this world, so that you can do what others claim cannot be done.