“Although you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy, for you are receiving the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.…” (1 Peter 1:8-9)
The faithful Christ followers who received the writing from 1 Peter may not have visibly seen the risen Christ, but it appears they showed every evidence of faithful living and loving Christ. So they had experienced the risen Christ!
Thomas Merton, a 20th century mystic and Trappist monk, entered a monastery in his thirties and spent the next two decades writing and studying, achieving much fame for his spiritual writings. He was also quite open about his struggles with a deep sense of both feeling unworthy of love and a diminished capacity to show love.
In his 52nd year he fell deeply in love with a nurse who was caring for him in hospital. Much of the time they corresponded by telephone or letters, with some brief visits, before the relationship ended.
Even though their parting brought great grief, his love for another human being changed everything. Transformed and healed, this love taught him that his tremendous need for love was not an impediment to faith, but as a key to his salvation. Reflecting on it, Merton felt that his pursuit of a ‘spiritual, detached love’ in his ordained life had actually prevented him from loving fully – and thus prevented him from entering into a deeper connection with the great sweep of God’s saving work.
In his experiencing of a deeply human love, Merton felt more able to rejoice fully in receiving God’s love and responding to God in love.
The faithful Christ followers in Peter’s church may not have visibly seen Christ, but as I said above, they surely must have experienced the love of Christ in order to respond to God’s love.
From Thomas Merton:
“It is for this that we came into the world—this communion and self-transcendence. We do not become fully human until we give ourselves to each other in love ... we will never be fully real until we let ourselves fall in love”.
May we all experience the love of Christ in this Easter season and learn to fall in love again.
Blessings
Ceri
