The Wonderful Exchange

We are in the glow of the Easter season. Spring is bursting out all over, and in this North Temperate Zone, nature is dancing with liturgical time.

 What are we celebrating? New life, you say? Ah…but why is that so…? Keep watching for the mystery hidden in the readings. They are giving evidence of a wonderful exchange! Keep watch for it in the evening news too, for it is at work there.

 In very common language, you might call it a ‘new deal.’ Again, in very common language you might say it this way: We really blew it. We messed things up big time. God had this plan for humanity, and we wrecked it. Now, God, being Love, is not going to settle for us using our freedom to wreck things. God has a Plan B. It goes like this:

 “How about a new deal. You give me your DNA. With your DNA I can have a body. If I have a body, I, who am eternal, can die, OK? If I enter death, I am a poison pill. Death will be destroyed. It no longer is final. Then, in exchange, I will give you my eternal life. Then you can live safely with me forever, even though you wrecked things, OK?”

 Then, Mary, who spoke for humanity, said, “Yes!” In contrast to Eve, she said, “Yes! Of course I will give you a body. Of course I will do as you ask…of course, I’m in…it’s a deal!”

 Now this is certainly not how the scripture tells it…but this is the wonderful exchange. We give God our ‘stuff’, who in the Word takes on our humanness. Now Love, who has a body, can suffer death to break its hold on us. In return we are given life that is unending…eternal…a wonderful exchange. In theological language, this is called the New Covenant, the new deal, the new arrangement.

 This is the Good News. We who have been made disciples by our baptism, now tell the good news to invite others to become disciples. We are women and men of the good Word, the word of life, the word of the truth that does justice.

You never give up on us, do You…

Does your Love even have a Plan C…?

You give even your very self, in your Son…

And what do you ask in return?

Myself.

So take what is Yours.

I know a good deal when I see one…

A wondrous exchange…