Some of us come here because we are injured, and need to heal. We suffer from bad backs, fallen arches, shattered dreams, broken hearts, anxiety, melancholia, anhedonia, the usual above ground afflictions...up above there are wildfires, smog alerts, epic droughts, paper jams, teachers' strikes, insurrections, revolutions, blisteringly hot days that never let up.~Julie Otsuka (From The Swimmers)

The above quote is from a book about people who go regularly to a community swimming pool to escape from life stressors, from overthinking, from the weight of their bodies and the weight of the world. When they enter the cool, blue water and begin to swim, it's almost as if their bodies take flight, their spirits rise, now untrammeled by the world's chaotic heaviness.

As I ponder the exultation I've felt when swimming, the freedom in the water, I thought of what we are remembering over these next days--the events of Holy Week. When Jesus gathers His disciples and tells them He chooses to follow through with His mission and go to the cross. His disciples are fearful. No, more than fearful. They are terrified. Confused. They don't want Him to suffer. Then they witness His horrible, ghastly, brutal murder. They are distraught. Traumatized. They defect. Scatter. What will they do now that their beloved leader is dead? 

Then the miracle--their leader's holy, mysterious resurrection. Can it really be Him? Yes, they witness the nailprints where He was pierced. It's too good to be true. Now they swim inside the cool, tranquil beauty of His breath. He lives. His resurrection is their resurrection.

And so we come to Jesus, some of us, all of us in our unique way, injured with needs to be healed from our bad decisions, our sins of omission and commission, from our failures, our diseases, our regrets, the ways life makes no sense. And our risen Lord greets us, "Peace and grace to you." We slip into His presence as we would slip into a swimming pool, the weight of the world no longer ours to carry, our spirits now untrammeled because we've experienced His goodness, His compassion. Like the disciples, we are astounded that His resurrection is our resurrection. 

Peace and grace to you dear readers. He is risen. He is risen indeed.