Easter Base Camp

Dear Friend,

Two mourning doves in the Sacred Garden this morning. The first bird sounds of the day and thank goodness they’re not the complaining crows! Two very mellow voices - a mother bird and her little one, I’d like to think. Easter starting softly and early…

I’ve been listening to the sounds of poems, too, this morning, from a collection called “Leaving the Base Camp at Dawn”. Like the bird sounds, the book’s title prompted me right away from the Lenten path to the threshold of Easter, to the promise of the mountaintop Isaiah sings about where a banquet will be spread, the veil will be lifted, and every tear wiped away. The Easter promise is a prophetic, hope-charged vista. 

Turns out that in this book the journey to that mountaintop really is the destination, as each poem along the way is a musical arrival. In one brilliantly entitled “For Water Thou Art, and Unto Water…” the poet/pilgrim comes to the water’s edge – East Beach? – and moves tentatively into the waves. Eventually he’s “swayed/pulled/trash-talked/ toppled/into/the diving in/the passing over/the irresistible/next/forever.” 

Those last four words echo the bird call and I savor them. In front of me is the oceanic power greater than myself of which Christ Jesus is the icon. I move toward him daily and toward his irresistible offer of the way, the truth, and life eternal – the ocean’s constant sign - always both a “now” and a “next.” It’s our baptism into love made present. From the garden to the water and back again to the tree of life, where we harvest the fruit of hope and offer the next forevers to the world. Rejoice!  Happy Easter!

Gratefully,

Fr. Dan ofm, Pastor

P.S. The author of “Leaving the Base Camp at Dawn” is parishioner Daniel Thomas.  Highly recommended. Thank you, Daniel!