Psalm 77 is a cry to God in distress. The Psalmist recalls the great Passover event when God freed his people from slavery in Egypt and says 'What God is great as our God? You are the God who works wonders. You showed your power among the peoples. Your strong arm redeemed your people' The Psalmist goes on to say something so beautiful, real and worth pondering about the way God works in our lives and world in verse 19 'Your way led through the sea, your path through the mighty waters and no-one saw your footprints.'
I mention this at Easter time because as Christians we have so much more to recall about the saving work of our God. The Psalms are true for us too and that is why we can and do pray them. We identify with the Passover of God's people in the Old Testament. Now however because of Jesus, we have His new Passover. We recall His dying and rising and how He passed from one to the other through the saving power of a loving Father.
This touches our lives so profoundly. It's because of this we know that we too have been able to pass from the death of sin to the full life in God. We know that through all the hardships and difficulties in life God will bring good. We know that this happens even in the bigger things we have to face such as serious illness (ours and our loved ones), deep grief, hurts or disappointments.
Jesus' death and resurrection has a huge impact on the greatest event we all have to face, namely our death. In Jesus and in His Passover we know that death is not a dead end. We actually, like Jesus and with Jesus, take a purposeful step. We pass from a limited way of living, thinking and being to a fuller, richer and new way of living and being.
Like the people in the Psalms we also need to recall the Passover of Jesus often and what it did for us. The Jews make another beautiful step in Faith. As they recall God's saving action years ago they believe that this saving power is still with them and at work in their present lives.
This is also true for us as well, but even more so in our Eucharist. Our Faith is that with each Eucharist we are not merely recalling His Passover but Jesus renews His saving death and resurrection for us here and now. Here and now He shares His saving power with us.
This saving power accompanies us during that day and that week. This Easter, and throughout life may we continue to recall and experience the saving power of Jesus in all the situations of our lives.
Bp Justin Bianchini