Lent, Day Fifty-One, Easter Thursday

Lent, Day Fifty-One, Easter Thursday
Life is... a short moment of waiting. But life is not empty waiting. It is to wait full of expectation. The knowledge that God will indeed fulfill the promise to renew everything, and will offer us a "new heaven and a new earth," makes the waiting exciting...

The "little while" is a precious time. It is a time of purification and sanctification, a time to be prepared for the great passage to the permanent house of God. What is my task during my "little while"? I want to point to the signs of the Kingdom to come, to speak about the first rays of the day of God, to witness to the many manifestations of the Holy Spirit among us.

Henri J.M. Nouwen
The Sabbatical Journey: A Diary of His Final Year, pg 104

Scripture:
¹⁶ Jesus went on to say, “In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me.”
¹⁷ At this, some of his disciples said to one another, “What does he mean by saying, ‘In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me,’ and ‘Because I am going to the Father’?” ¹⁸ They kept asking, “What does he mean by ‘a little while’? We don’t understand what he is saying.”
²⁰ Very truly I tell you, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy.
²² So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy. 
John 16:16-18, 20, 22

PRAYER
Eternal Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, though I am here for "a little while;' keep me ever aware that my earthly weeping and mourning will be replaced by rejoicing when I see you in your heavenly glory. Amen.

EASTER ACTION
Give up nursing grief over past mistakes and instead find a reason to plan and participate in one joyful·celebration.