The Presence of Risen Christ
Father Joseph Tedesco – Superior
Chapter Talk, given June 1, 2024
For some time, I’ve been wanting to give this talk but there was always another conference or something preventing me. Today as I heard the words of Justin Martyr in the reading at Vigils, it was a confirmation that I should give this talk.
Justin Martyr wrote: “The presence of the Eternal Logos (Word) is in each of us.
In the Easter season we surely receive the gift of understanding more and more clearly, how Jesus our Risen Lord is with us in so many ways.
We heard the Emmaus story and the disciples said, “We recognized him in the breaking of the bread.” He is the bread of life for us and is so present there.
We heard the great. Story of Thomas the Twin – My Lord and My God. When Thomas saw and felt the wounds of Jesus.
We remember the story at the Tomb, when Mary heard her name. And knew it was the Lord.
Jesus’ own words. So powerfully teach us – I am the true vine and you are the branches.
I am the Good Shephard. And maybe most importantly for us in a personal way – Peace be with you.
We know Jesus is with each of us in his peace. Often sitting in adoration in the chapel we can feel that peace and so many other ways, of course.
In all these and so many more. Jesus is life giving to us by his presence. And every time we feel his presence with us, we feel that connection we have with him. And His new life.
One experience we all have had in our own personal way, is Bro Roman Paul — how much we feel his presence. How much his presence with us was a precious and gracious gift. So, we can identify the power and grace of presence.
Perhaps we can add to this, our community life, and our presence too one another, being attentive to this gift of community is a real important dimension of our life together. So our faithfulness to this life we have can be life giving in every way.
During this Easter Season, we celebrate the glory of the Risen Christ among us. Ps 72 names it so wonderfully. May your glory fill the Earth, it says.
These 50 days of Easter are great to savor the effects of the resurrection on the church and on each of us. We just grow in faith, hope and love.
We give glory to the Lord and fill the earth with His glory by our prayer, our life and witness this Easter and always.
Reading a book on Merton, I’m reminded that he says holiness is becoming who you are and who you are meant to be. I find those words so challenging. Because I know every one of us wants to be exactly who we are meant to be. We want to be who we say we are as monks of Mepkin.
How do we do that? Live truthfully and faithfully who we are meant to be as monks. Easter tells us and shows us the truth of Christ as the Beloved Son, as Savior and Lord. So, it’s with him and in Him we come to our truth.
Remember, image and likeness – Jesus tells us – when you see me to see the Father. When people see us – do they experience Jesus in some way, his love, his compassion, his forgiveness.
St. Bernard says so powerfully in his sermons on the song of songs that the Kiss of Contemplation is the gift of participation in the life of the Trinity and this is what we are celebrating at Pentecost. Which happens because Jesus goes to the Father at the Ascension.
We see the unconditional love of God reflected from the love of the Three in one. And Jesus culminates this love of God in sacrificial love as the incarnate one. And right there is the presence of Jesus among us always. Seen of course in his Eucharistic presence.
Just the other day a young man came to see me, who just wanted to talk about God’s love and I could feel so powerfully God’s presence with him. He was just so filled with faith in this God who has given us Jesus and he just wanted everyone to come to know this truth. Right there is the way he and all of us share God’s presence with others.
We are on this journey of presence. We are surrounded with God’s presence. Do we realize this grace? And the more we seek God the more we will experience it.
I’m reminded of all the saints and saintly people that we read every day in “This Day” by Robert Ellsberg. They can overwhelm you in a way, they are so rich in grace and willingness to be for others. Willing to let go of themselves and serve the world in whatever way unfolds for them.
How mysterious is the grace that leads people to find their place in the world? Think of your own story. The twist and turns that got you to Mepkin and to live this life now.
We can all be so thankful.
I think this brings us full circle to Jesus the Risen one, who give us His Spirit. We celebrated the great holy day of Ascension and Pentecost. The real feast of our ongoing life. We need the Spirit in every way.
Our lives are significant because of the presence of Christ. Blessed by our prayer, this is our witness to all people it says what we are about. That is: Living in the reality of Christ day in and day out.
Of course, it’s little by little the Christ within is uncovered by our actions of virtue. And so is made real in us and in the world. That’s the goal we are seeking to reach by our faithfulness.
If you think about it, it feels like we are not far from where we started. Because we always feel our utter humanity. Our weaknesses and sinfulness. Not so much our divinity that is our true self. But that’s where we are going for sure. That’s the promise and reality of Christ in us. We are called to belong to Christ, to be part of him.
So, this brings us back to presence. Let’s seek to live in Christ’s presence. Everything would change the more we live there. Just like the saints, each in their way, lived Christ. In the
Spirit-life we have the power to do so. We share in these gifts of the Risen Christ.
My dear friend, Fr. John, sent me a card for my birthday last month. It said: Look for the divine presence in unexpected places and allow yourself to be dazzled.
Well, let yourself be dazzled as we live this wonderful life in God’s presence.