At first I was a little upset that my parents decided to go out of town for Easter. Easter is one of three major holidays where my parents, my sister and I gather around the table for a wonderful home cooked meal. I assured my mother that my feelings were not hurt, yet harbored a little resentment for their little vacation to Heber Springs. And as positive as I tried to be about Easter, watching families and friends leave for glorious Easter brunches and family lunches after church left me feeling alone and abandoned.
After church, I met with three youth from my church to cook a meal at a local soup kitchen. To be honest, I was glad there were three young people who were willing to come and cook. Most of the active youth in the parish were enjoying family meals and big Easter celebrations, so to have three youth willing to work at a soup kitchen on Easter made the event more special. And only having three, we had to work so hard in the kitchen that I didn’t have time to feel sorry for myself.
The three hours that we spent together flew by and when we were ready to leave, we all walked out together. One of the regulars at the soup kitchen, Lee, approached the three youth and begin asking them questions about their lives, where they went to school, what sports they played, and what they enjoyed doing in their spare time. And to my surprise, all three answered in detail and even began asking Lee questions about his life. In my work in ministry, I have found it very easy to serve the homeless and a lot more difficult to truly treat each person as one of our brothers or sisters. I have come to expect people, regardless of age, to be standoffish and hesitant to engage in real compassionate conversation with those who seem different, especially the homeless. Although I always enjoy working at soup kitchens, if I am walking in downtown or midtown
As I was experiencing something new for Easter, these three youth helped me to see the true meaning of Easter. Easter is the celebration of the resurrection of Christ, and in my eyes that means bringing his kingdom of heaven to earth. I believe that for fifteen minutes, as I stood outside with these three youth and our brother Lee, they showed me a glimpse of the kingdom of heaven, a place where all people eat together at the same table and each person is respected, loved, and embraced. Conversations run free and people would not hesitate to share all they have to offer with each other. And to catch a glimpse of that kingdom of heaven made my Easter more special and meaningful than ever before.
