"The stone was rolled away from the door, not to permit Christ to come out, but to enable the disciples to go in."

“And he departed from our sight that we might return to our heart, and there find Him. For He departed, and behold, He is here.” -- St. Augustine

Scripture Text: (COL 3:1-4)

Brothers and sisters:

If then you were raised with Christ, seek what is above,

where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.

Think of what is above, not of what is on earth.

For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.

When Christ your life appears,

then you too will appear with him in glory.

At this time of the year the barren soil now receives seeds which, though now hidden, will become robust crops in a few short months.

St. Paul reminds us on this Easter Sunday that “our life is hidden with Christ in God.”  Because of the gift of baptism, there is new life germinating within us, pointing us toward the future when we too “will appear with him in glory.”  So sure is this future harvest that St. Paul urges us to “think and to “seek” what is above, to orient our sight there.

The farmer tending the seed with great care does so because he knows the outcome, the harvest.  Even so, St. Paul, knowing that we live amid the incompleteness of our life’s journey, encourages us to contemplate what is to come. All this is not to distract us from life in the present, but to make sure that life has its proper focus and goal.

I once saw an inscription over the doorway of a Catholic Elementary School which read:  The hope of the harvest is in the seed.  On this day of Resurrection, do I believe that the seed of future glory lies within me?  How will I tend and care for the seed of faith which I have been given?  How will I cherish the presence of Christ Jesus alive within me today?