As we live our busy lives we may, at times, have a few minutes here and there, to stop and think of those  things that matter most.  As we look around we see many people and many situations that force us to wonder what the world it coming too.  There may even be times when we become anxious and frightened.  What we see and experience in our daily lives can easily overwhelm us and lead us to wonder if life has any good purpose, i.e., any “higher” purpose?  This may even lead us to wonder why we are given the “gift” of life to begin with.

    The season of Easter is a exceptional time to find answers to these question.  The Scripture readings during this season tell us everything we need to know in order to continue our journey.  This Sunday’s readings tells us that Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life.  In short, if you want to know God and be with him you must pay attention to Jesus.  Jesus is God’s Word.  If we take this seriously we must make every effort to get to know Jesus’ way and his teachings. 

    As Christians, our responsibility is to keep the memory of Jesus alive and well.  Of course, we must begin by knowing Jesus ourselves before trying to pounce him off on others.  We can do this by reading and praying the Scriptures, gathering in his name and celebrating the Eucharist “in memory” of him.  This is the very first step.  If we are faithful to these acts we soon become impassioned with the love of God.  Our life takes on a very different perspective and we are unstoppable.  Once we are on a role, we see that we want to become active participants in this Christian life.  Memory, after all, is not simply a matter of good brain function.  It also involves the heart.

     Keeping Jesus’ memory alive remains to this day, one of the great challenges of the Easter season.  It is also the greatest challenge of all Christians in the modern age. Are we up to the challenge?  Or, are we afraid and turn on our heels whenever we see the challenge coming toward us?  Fear is a very dangerous reality in our lives.  How do we, as Christians, deal with this reality?

     The answer to facing our fears is in accepting our responsibility of keeping Jesus’ memory alive.  We find direction for this responsibility in this week’s readings.   People began being overwhelmed thousands of years ago.  We did not invent the concept.  When the Apostles began realizing that they had more work than they could handle they became creative.  They prayed for help from the Holy Spirit and their prayers were answered.  They realized that they needed to create social institutions that would take care of the needs of the more vulnerable also to find leaders among the people that would be willing to help in the matter.  With these problems under control they were able to concentrate on spreading God’s Word.   

    We can learn from these readings.  We should not be living our lives in fear or anxiety or frustration.  If we are true Christians we must remember that our purpose is to keep Jesus alive in the hearts and minds of all his followers.  We do this by our works and example.  We know that we can resolve our problems by praying, especially to the Holy Spirit.  Nothing is impossible with God. Let us remember that.
                                Lorette P. Nault