Transcript of Abbot Clement
=s Easter Sunday Homily, March 27, 2005In the Eastern Hindu tradition the fundamental harmonious sound of the universe and life is
AOM@. So if you=ll quiet yourself down you will hear AOM@. It arises out of the harmonious integrated situation of creation as God made it and life itself. The mystery of salvation gives us the deeper and truer harmoniousness in the whole of creation. The key that we have to sing from now on is the Paschal mystery, that is the foundational harmony of salvation.If you want some idea of problem we are living in ask Fr. Michael to play the same tune on the right hand play it in the key of
AC@ and on the left hand play it on the key of AG@ and you will put your hands over your ears and you=ll say stop, stop, stop! This is grinding me!!! If we don=t sing in the key of the Paschal mystery then we are like that cacophony that I just described. We are living a life in which we sing in a different key than what God is singing. Therefore we have noise, disharmony, dissonance, conflict.Do we really believe what Paul tells us in Romans? If you have been baptized into Jesus Christ, you have been baptized into his death. Just as Jesus was raised from the dead so you live now a new life. Therefore your life has to be sung in the key of the Passover mystery, the Paschal mystery.
In Lent and Holy Week, we focused on Jesus. We are convinced he
=s the light of the world that leads us to heaven. How are you becoming a light to lead others to heaven? Jesus is the Way, that leads to Truth, which is himself, how are you becoming the Way to Truth? How do you bring others to the truth? Jesus is life that saves. How are you becoming life that saves?The danger of monastic life is that we receive so much richness that we think we
=re living it because we hear it, and can say it, and read it, but, in fact we may not be there at all and this will be a test because now when you go back to things as usual or is there going to be a sign that you=re living the new life?Jesus in his power of conquering Satan, the world, and sin has offered this same victory to us. So now that Easter is here, Lent is over is it back to usual? Will you give in to sensual appetites? Will you seek your comforts? Will you watch too much TV? Will you eat too much? Will you drink too much? Will you seek comforts all the time?
Obviously the feast of Easter is the powerful gift from God to transform our lives and the whole world. It
=s a tremendous challenge. But it=s not done under our own strength. We are given a participation in this victory. So it demands discernment. To take out time, to see whether or not we really are allowing the Lord to live in us. Whether we are really victorious over the world at its false promises. We need to reflect on it. What is my life style? How much of it sings the song of Easter? How much of it sings the song of the world? Especially we said that there must be the removal of selfishness in my life because that=s the killer of the resurrected life.We need to receive the gift we have been given. We are all baptized in Jesus. In that baptism we receive the newness of life that is sustained, enriched, and made abundant through the sacraments and prayer in a life of charity.
So the question will be is this just going to be another day or is it really going to be a new song to the Lord because we
=re living the new life?