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            In the passages from scripture which were read last night during the Easter Vigil there is a recurring theme of conflict:  God destroys the earth by a flood, from which only Noah and his family are rescued (Genesis 6:5 – 8:22); God destroys the Egyptians in the waters of the Red Sea, while Israel walks forth on dry ground (Exodus 13:17 – 14:22);  Ezekiel sees the spirit of God at work in the valley of the Dry Bones (Ezekiel 37:1-14). 
            All these Old Testament lessons are referred in the liturgy to the struggle between life and death, which is the subject of the Paschal Triduum, in which Christ’s passion and resurrection are drawn together into so close a relation that they become a single mystery.  The cross is transformed into the sign of Christ’s power, and from the cross Christ reigns as king. 
            Today, when we wish each other “the peace of Christ,” what sort of peace do we have in mind?  Surely not the peace of the tomb, where all activity ceases, or the peace of those who say “Peace, peace,” when there is no peace (Jeremiah 6:14).  The peace of Christ comes as the fruit of victory, the salvation which follows conflict.     
            The purpose of religion is not to provide escape or distraction  from conflict.  To be sure, we all need to get away from the stress of daily living, in order to turn inward.  But, as the masters of the spiritual life were only too well aware, the inward journey is no less fraught with conflict than is daily life. 
            The petition from the Lord’s Prayer reads, in the modern translation, “Save us from the time of trial,” but this does not mean that the time of trial will pass us by.  Even Jesus’ prayer that the hour might pass from him (Mark 14:35) was not granted by the Father. 
            There is no victory without conflict; there can be no peace without warfare.  The most we can expect is what Paul assures the community at Corinth:

No temptation has overtaken you that is not common.  God is faithful and will not let you be tempted beyond your strength, but with temptation will also provide that you may be able to endure it.  1 Corinthians 10:13

            God’s fidelity is revealed in his mighty act of raising Jesus from the dead.  Baptism is the sign that we have joined the struggle, whose outcome, in Christ, is now assured. 
            Ignatius Loyola gave the advice: “Act as if everything depended upon you; pray as if everything depended upon God.”  Our future is in God’s hands, but the present does lie within our power, at least to some extent.  The indefinite future, when the mortgage is paid off, the job situation just right, and the children have all grown up—this moment may never come.  Life is a journey in which every day is a new beginning.            

April 12, 2009

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