Last night at 11:06 PM, the sun was directly over the Equator, marking the beginning of spring for us in the Northern Hemisphere, a day earlier than last year because this is a leap year (Remember, February 29?). The sky begins to become lighter before the actual sunrise, which occurs at 7:00 AM today for us in New Jersey, seven minutes behind Connecticut and almost 45 minutes behind Helsinki.
We think of our days in terms of the clock, unlike Jesus and his followers who probably responded to the natural phenomena around them of daybreak and sunset as they trudged toward Jerusalem. Walking from Galilee to Jerusalem, a distance of between 30 and 40 miles at about 2 miles per hour would have taken several days.
The Gospels mention only a few of the events and conversations that occurred on that walk. Did they have to pass checkpoints as travelers do today? How did they identify themselves? No passports or documents like we have. And as they came closer to their goal and heard Jesus talk about what must have sounded like impending doom, they must have been apprehensive. Wouldn’t anyone be?
Prayer for the Day
The road seems so long and hard at times, O God,
And we are often uncertain of where it will take us;
The early spring morning beckons us to hope,
But we know what we feel is despair in our day.
Strengthen us, O Holy One, so we can persevere
For the road to justice is rocky and it is easy for us to trip.
In the name of the One who is the voice of justice,
Even Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.
Thoughts for the Day
The God of life summons us to life; more, to be lifegivers, especially toward those who lie under the heel of the powers.
Daniel Berrigan, Jesuit priest, poet, and peace activist (1921-2016)
I am in the world to change the world.
Muriel Rukeyser, American poet and political activist (1913-1980).
If you remove the yoke from among you, the pointing of the finger, the speaking of evil,
If you offer your food to the hunger, and satisfy the needs of the afflicted,
Then your light shall rise in the darkness, and your gloom be like the noonday.
Isaiah 58: 9-10