Easter 2017

April 16, 2017 at 12:45 pm · Filed under Easter, Religious-Civic and tagged: hand-me-down-faith, ReGifter God

If my late mom were alive tomorrow, she would turn 93 years old. Like you, I have my mom to thank for delivering me into this world. As an Avon franchisee (aka ‘Avon Lady’) my mom’s entrepreneurial spirit was admirable. And I know what attracted the largest number of people who loved and befriended her was her loving encouragement and magnetic wisdom. But I’m most grateful for her handing down her faith in God, and teaching me that Jesus was God’s gift to mankind. I often eavesdropped and listened in as she told others about her faithful encounters with Christ. Interestingly, such conversations were common not only with family and friends but even with her customers.

On some occasions, my mom instructed me to get on my bike to make a ‘special delivery’. Invariably, she would include samples of products that she knew her customer(s) had not paid for and she would have me deliver without her charging the customer(s). I eventually learned those ‘samples’ were actually ‘satisfaction guaranteed’ product returns. When her paying customers did not like a product, my mom honored their request to return the product and receive their money back. Because she had already paid Avon for the product, the lost sale already represented a financial loss to my mom. Instead of her attempting to recover part of her investment, she would give the ‘rejected product’ as a sample to another person who could not pay the price to purchase the product. I recall grateful ‘customers’ expressing their appreciation for my mom to me and then calling to thank her directly. As I look back on my days as my mom’s ‘deliveryman’, I’m grateful that she gave me ‘hand me down’ faith from a ‘ReGifter’ God.

Only a few select witnesses greeted Jesus Christ when Blessed Mother Mary delivered Him into this world on that first Christmas. On that first Easter Sunday morning, a slightly larger group witnessed Jesus”rebirth’; His Resurrection. During Holy Week, Jesus summarized His 3-year ministry by showing us how we are to treat one another. He washed His disciples’ feet because He came to serve; not be served. He enlisted St. Simon the Cyrenian to help Him carry His Cross to Calvary, showing us the importance of picking up our own crosses and of helping one another carry such burdens. And He stayed with us for weeks after His Resurrection, because as St. Augustine of Hippo wrote, Easter is not an event but a season and we are Easter People. Alleluia is our song!

Let each of us pray about and consider whether we should join the ‘Hand Me Down Faith; ReGifting Business’, like my mom and our God the Father. What a glorious gift they ‘regifted’ — Christ Jesus. Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!

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