Riding the Wind - An Easter Reflection

It has been a busy time for the followers of Jesus.  They have been challenged with hard choices ...requiring them to come to terms with their faith and trust in Jesus.   

The challenges continue today.  There is a new challenge of community living.  Now it is not about just individual conversion but community conversion.   The early church challenges us to live 'with one heart and one mind'.   Are we free to let go of our agenda to live with ‘the wisdom of the community’?  Another key for community in the early church and for St. Benedict is hospitality to one another - to ‘share according to need’.  Not about me and mine -  but we and us.  Not about petty things but about the  challenge of Joseph/Barnabas - we may not give over money but are we  free to give over our personalities for the good of community, to stretch into our shadow side when more is needed from us; to speak to the issues we face and to share gifts even when difficult or time-consuming?  Are we free to find our common ground rather than our individual preference?  Are we each free to accept the challenge of living as one presence, one voice?  Rejoice and be glad for what we each can offer – and recognize where we can improve. 

In the Gospel we are challenged to ‘ride the wind’.  Can each of us embrace this Spirit wind?  Can we each let go of our agenda and enjoy the ‘ride’ and trust God?  Are we each free from having to know the result or figure it out before embarking on the ‘ride’.  Can we each let go of a need to control the ‘wind’ and trust we will have what we need because the Lord is Risen and always with us? Rejoice and be glad for trusting in the Lord – and recognize where we can improve. 

I live between Barnabas giving all and Nicodemus struggling with questions. Some periods of my life I have had many questions and longer periods I have worked towards giving over all of me.  This is my conversion and my resurrection – to continually work at being a ‘free’ person and trust the Risen Lord within me - who is my cornerstone.   I do love to ‘ride the wind’ and its challenges.  Our challenge is to ‘ride the wind’ together and rejoice in it – and to be free to set aside me to improve the we.