THOUGHTS OF A NUN

The Key

August 8, 2004

Early in her career, a teacher arrived at school early one morning and was surprised to see a youngster anxiously waiting at the door. As the teacher tried the door the boy said, "It's locked!" As she was fumbling for her keys the child immediately brightened and exclaimed, “You’re a teacher!”  She asked the boy how he knew that. He hesitated for only a moment and respectfully said, “You have the key”. That key was to the school and the school was a symbol of learning and understanding.

The disciples knew that Jesus had “the key”. According to their beliefs, Elijah was to come three days before the Messiah and proclaim to the chosen people, Peace on the first day, Good on the second day and Salvation on the third. Having seen the Transfiguration atop the mountain, the disciples were sure Jesus was the Messiah. How to put that together with Elijah's coming was puzzling. He assured them Elijah had come, but pushed their understanding further by saying "look what happened to him," referring no doubt to John the Baptist. He pushed even harder by reminding them the Son of Man would also suffer and be treated with contempt.

Jesus had the key for them but the resistance to thinking of the Messiah in an entirely new way from what had always been thought was extremely difficult. We know the disciples eventually did catch on--after the even more puzzling "rising from the dead" took place.

Jesus has the key for us too. The word of Jesus did not end with his death but continues. Jesus still speaks to us. The Eucharist, the partaking of Christ's body and blood is a most vivid key that can lead us to a fuller understanding of Christ's message. When we ponder what it means to be one with God, one with each other as Jesus is one with the Father, we recognize that it is God who is at work in our attempts to seek the truth about the world, other persons and ourselves. It is God at work when we recognize the call for respect and love by us towards others and by others towards ourselves.

So what is the key or what are the keys, which enable us to be open to a new way of looking at life, at death.

We say that Jesus is the resurrection and the life. It is a new kind of life, a life in the Spirit that has begun here and will never end. This new life in the Spirit does not undo the cross/suffering. God was with Jesus when he was stripped of everything, which impressed his followers as messianic in power and meaning. God is with us also in every aspect of our lives. Jesus has the key for us too.

For: Christ is in our midst!