Early on the first day of the week
“Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark…” This is where Easter first happens…while it was still dark. It begins with the followers of Jesus casting about in the early morning of the third day after his death. They’re filled with doubt and fear, and they’re deeply uncertain about what the death of Jesus might mean for them. It’s been helpful to me to remember this – that the resurrection happened in the dark of night. No one witnessed Jesus’ resurrection, and for those first to find the empty tomb, awareness will dawn only gradually.
Mary Magdalene’s experience is enlightening here. Unlike Peter and John, who run from the empty tomb without comprehending what it is they have seen, Mary, perplexed and still filled with grief, chooses to linger there. It must have been almost unbearable to do so, but her choice creates the space for the first encounter with the risen Christ.
With time, I am learning the wisdom of Mary’s choice: that clarity and hope come when I am ready to remain in the pain-filled places that are part of every human journey. These are the places where new life breaks through; for Christians, Jesus comes to us in new ways. He looks different to us, and He won’t let us cling to the old ways of understanding Him and the world.
The recent Vatican statement on the Doctrine of Discovery signals the willingness of a growing number of Church leaders to stand in that pain-filled place: In our own day, a renewed dialogue with Indigenous peoples, especially with those who profess the Catholic Faith, has helped the Church to understand better their values and cultures. With their help, the Church has acquired a greater awareness of their sufferings, past and present… [which] …constitute a powerful summons to abandon the colonizing mentality and to walk with them side by side, in mutual respect and dialogue… The Catholic Church, therefore, repudiates those concepts that fail to recognize the inherent human rights of Indigenous peoples, including what has become known as the legal and political “doctrine of discovery.
The visit of Indigenous delegates to the Vatican just over a year ago, followed by the penitential pilgrimage to Canada last summer by Pope Francis, testifies to a willingness in the Church to listen more deeply to the painful stories of residential school survivors and their families and communities. The recent Vatican statement repudiating what has come to be known as the doctrine of discovery, is evidence of our church slowly learning to see our history through the eyes of Indigenous people, and taking small, albeit significant, steps towards healing the deep wounds in the relationships between Indigenous Peoples and the Catholic Church.
For our part, I am grateful for the many initiatives by individual Oblates and Oblate Associates in the previous year to grow in their understanding of Indigenous history, spirituality, and culture, and for the variety of programs offered in our retreat houses and parishes. This is evidence of our collective commitment to the painstaking work of truth and reconciliation. And yet, we know that much remains to be done. As part of our Easter journey this year, let us recommit to the work of listening deeply to our Indigenous brothers and sisters; let us dare to continue to linger in this challenging place where new life is breaking into the world.
By Ken Thorson, OMI
