The Rev. Canon Frank Logue, in his homily for Easter, "Look Again" talks about
rolling away stones. He begins with Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James,
and Salome, going to the tomb on the third day after the crucifixion to give
Jesus the proper Jewish burial he was denied. They encountered the stone
blocking entrance to the tomb in which Jesus’ body had been laid. They “looked
again,” (in the perfect tense in Greek), and found the stone rolled away. Logue
discusses how they reacted at that time, and later, as they once again “looked
again.” The difference in what they did (fleeing) is seeing through the eyes of
the world, seeing problems and obstacles, without hope; and seeing through the
eyes of faith, and turning over the obstacles and problems to God who has
already (perfect tense) provided the way through it all, and who has given us
the courage, strength, conviction, purpose... and hope, to move ahead, and
follow where Jesus leads us.
Compare this with the ancient Greek myth of Sisyphus who
defied the gods and put Death in chains so that no human needed to die. When
Death was eventually liberated and it came time for Sisyphus himself to die, he
concocted a deceit which let him escape from the underworld. After finally
capturing Sisyphus, the Greek gods decided on his punishment for all eternity.
He would have to push a rock up a mountain; upon reaching the top, the rock
would roll down again, leaving Sisyphus to start over. Without hope, condemned
to repeat a meaningless task, forever.
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