They even carried the sick out into the streets and laid them there on cots and mats so that when Peter came by, at least his shadow might fall on one or another of them.  A large number of people from the towns in the vicinity of Jerusalem also gathered, bringing the sick and those disturbed by unclean spirits, and they were all cured.
- Acts 5:15-16

He said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands, and bring your hand and put it into my side, and do not be unbelieving, but believe.”  Thomas answered and said to him, “My Lord and my God!”  Jesus said to him, “Have you come to believe because you have seen me?  Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.”
- John 20:27-29

The resurrected presence: an intimate and silent communion with the Divine that shines like the sun.  An understanding that death is a gateway to resurrection. That when one dies with Christ, one also rises.  That suffering is redemptive.

Peter had seen it, touched it, lived into it.  Now he is transmitting it, allowing its healing power to touch those who need it. As we heard in last week’s message, the second movement of resurrection is re-entrance into the work of the world.

Peter, who had vehemently expressed his opposition to Jesus’ suffering, now understands the healing power of that suffering, the awakened presence of resurrection that awakens others.  It is an understanding that cannot be kept to oneself. For resurrection is not a private affair.  Once experienced it uplifts the community, the world.

Thomas had the opportunity to touch the physical, resurrected Christ. We are invited to touch the resurrected presence available anytime, anywhere. As we wait in the silence, we are filled with grace, reminded of our ongoing participation in redemption arising from suffering. May we not be unbelieving but believe.

Meditations

“Christianity can help us realize that death and resurrection are part of the evolutionary path toward wholeness; letting go of isolated existence for the sake of deeper Union. Something dies but something new is born - which is why the chaos of our times is, in a strange way, a sign of hope; something new is being born within. Breakdown can be break through if we recognize a new pattern of life struggling to emerge.”
- Ilia Delio, Center for Christogenesis, March 2020 newsletter

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“I believe the Christian faith is saying that the pattern of transformation is always death transformed, not death avoided. The universal spiritual pattern is death and resurrection, or loss and renewal, if you prefer. That is always a disappointment to humans, because we want one without the other - transformation without cost or surrender.”
- Richard Rohr, Easter Sunday Message, April 12, 2020

Practice: 

• Resurrection always follows death. In this guided audio meditation which you can listen to here in the forum (about seven minutes), Julie Saad, a long-time Centering Prayer practitioner, student of Thomas Keating, retreat leader and author, invites us to die to the self and simply rest in the awareness of “I Am” without words. This recording was created for the Practicing the Presence online course. What do hear for your journey now?
• Post your reflections on the community forum here.  Post prayer requests here. By clicking on the Subscribe link on the right-hand side of a thread, you can receive email notifications when someone posts a comment or a prayer request. 
• You may be interested in this new e-offering coming up in May from David Frenette on the moving one's prayer more deeply into life: Grounding the Prayer of the Cloud with the Prayer of the Heart. You can read more about this e-course and practice here.

1. Tuesday, 8:00-9:00 AM Central (Chicago) Time 
2. Wednesday, 5:00-6:00 PM Central (Chicago) Time 

• click on this link:https://us02web.zoom.us/j/4459094698?pwd=b0hoeWR4dTRoL0NGV3pIUjB5MFVVQT09

• Open Zoom, click-on "join meeting," and enter meeting ID 445 909 4698. When prompted for a passcode, use COL.