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I heard FOUR separate sermons on the Easter miracle yesterday. Some were better than others, but this one, probably apocryphal but I didn't care, struck me as memorable.
Clergy must struggle with what to say on Easter Sunday. The pews are JAMMED with people who come only 1x or 2x a year. To launch into fire-and-brimstonism as a means of getting them back in the pews permanently is risky. Half will miss the point because you're not talking about 'them.' And half will shut down for feeling harshly judged.
So one of our celebrants took this tack: After setting the stage that Easter love and joy are present not only on the Sunday after Lent but also on EVERY Sunday of the year, he talked about a 5 y.o. child who approached him on the second Sunday of Easter and, after Mass, asked him pointedly: "Where'd they all go?"
"Where'd who all go?"
"All the people who crowded in here last week?"
And so he left the question out there for all the attendees: How are we to answer this prophetic little boy? Where will you be this time next week?
Clergy must struggle with what to say on Easter Sunday. The pews are JAMMED with people who come only 1x or 2x a year. To launch into fire-and-brimstonism as a means of getting them back in the pews permanently is risky. Half will miss the point because you're not talking about 'them.' And half will shut down for feeling harshly judged.
So one of our celebrants took this tack: After setting the stage that Easter love and joy are present not only on the Sunday after Lent but also on EVERY Sunday of the year, he talked about a 5 y.o. child who approached him on the second Sunday of Easter and, after Mass, asked him pointedly: "Where'd they all go?"
"Where'd who all go?"
"All the people who crowded in here last week?"
And so he left the question out there for all the attendees: How are we to answer this prophetic little boy? Where will you be this time next week?