Resurrection 2009 by Lee Cantelon

Resurrection fills the heart, like sunshine bursting through dark clouds, dispelling cold winds of doubt. The heaviness that has dogged our thoughts, and dampened our spirits, is quickly gone. Our hearts and minds return to purpose, accompanied by prayers of thanks and songs of praise. Resurrection! The cellular framework is reborn, returned to a perfect state. Our spiritual person is remade. Cancerous thoughts flee, anger, avarice, self-condemnation, bitterness, all are chased and cauterized by newness that floods every corner of existence.

On Easter, we gather to remember a story that has been passed down from generation to generation, the foundational message that Christians hold dear, hinging on a remarkable truth, one that prompted the cry of Paul the Apostle,
"If Christ is not risen from the dead, then we are of all persons most miserable."

The Resurrection by William Etty, c. 1830
click here to view enlarged image

The resurrection that we celebrate this week took place during a time of great turmoil and tension. Israel was occupied by a foreign power. The state of religion had fallen into hypocritical and despotic hands. Slavery was rampant. The devout longed for Messiah. The exodus from Egypt, the miracles of manna and God's guidance had become an ancient story. The prophets were many years dead, replaced by tax greedy hierarchies who extorted in Hashem (God's) name. Sound familiar?

Creation, resurrection, two inseparable words. Resurrection about what is new, life replacing death, community replacing exile, returning overcoming banishment, health instead of sickness, light chasing darkness, hope where despair once reigned, creation once more, a second chance, a new birth..

Several times I have stood on the place claimed to be the location of Christ's rising. It is remarkable for its plainness, a small jutting of rock surrounded by a grove of stunted trees. The tomb humble, insignificant, a trough where the stone may have been rolled to seal it, a cold slab where the wrapped body was layed. Was it here that this event actually took place? Do the hopes and dreams of millions begin from this?

Years after visiting the garden tomb, I remember walking across St. Peter's square in Rome, overwhelmed by the massive 16th century architecture of Giacomo della Porta, the sun glinting off city blocks of decorative gold, ornate stone and glass, a monument to grandiosity and pride. Miles away, across the Mediterranean the birthplace of Christianity seemed dusty and poor by comparison. Joy filled my heart at the thought.

Because our day to day existence, when confronting God's greatness, is poor, dusty, and threadbare. We fail His glory at every turn. Like the prophet, when being honest, we can lament, "Who am I?"

Our purposes, aspirations, relations with others, seem, by comparison, worthless and frail. It is precisely into this reality that resurrection comes. The stones of our own stubborn humanness are rolled away. What is dead can be made alive again, and this new life will fill our heart transforming every vein, cell, imagination, and our ability to believe. Resurrection has no expiration date. It is renewed to us everyday. All that is demanded of us is that we recognize and acknowledge its possibility and truth.

Lee Cantelon, April 8th, 2009

postscript: "Blessing of the Sun"

"And Hashem made the two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night and the stars. And Hashem placed them in the sky of the heavens to give light on the earth, and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from darkness; and Hashem saw that it was good. And it was evening and it was morning, a fourth day."

Today (April 8, 2009) Jews across the world celebrate Passover, they remember prayers from the Psalms, and the fact that the heavens declare the glory of one true God. At 7:00 AM this morning they gathered to recite the birkat hachama, or "blessing of the sun." This evening they gather in homes around the dinner table to celebrate liberation from slavery and oppression, 2009 marks a very special Passover because, by cosmic coincidence, the sun is in the exact position it occupied at the time of Creation. And that, as with almost everything else in Judaism, is cause for blessing and thanksgiving.


about the art work on this page:

THE RESURRECTION by WILLIAM ETTY
William Etty was born in Hull, England. He entered the Royal Academy School, studying under Henry Fuseli and Sir Thomas Lawrence. He went on to study in Venice, Italy where he acquired the excellence in color for which his works are known. He returned to London until 1848, but on account of failing health he retired to New York City where he died.