Joy of the Resurrected One

A word from our Cistercian Father Baldwin of Ford for Easter Sunday

“After his obedience, obedience even unto death, Jesus revealed to us his glory saying, ‘I will sing and give praise in my glory, arise psaltery and harp.’  The psaltery and harp symbolize praise and thanksgiving for this same glory.  Christ will sing in his glory.  Now Christ as the Apostle says, is the power and wisdom of God, but the Wisdom of God speaks of the Father thus: ‘Before he made everything I was with him forming all things.  I was delighted every day, playing before him at all times.’  What a vision!  What sweet and ineffable joy: in heaven to see the Son of God playing before the Father and to hear him singing, there where the stars of the morning sing and all the sons of God shout for joy.  Who of the faithful would not clap his hands in the hope of such a blessed vision, would not dance in his heart, would not raise his voice in exultation?  Jesus sings to the Father, he sings to the angels, and he will also sing to us.  To the Father he sings eternal eulogies of praise, psalms of triumph and exaltation and a new song, the song of songs, which none can sing except Jesus alone.  To the angels he sings ‘Rejoice Jerusalem.  Celebrate a feast-day all you that love.’  Finally Jesus will sing to us.  He will sing a song of joy, a song of delight saying, ‘Come, you blessed of my Father, possess the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.’”

May each of us discover the Risen Christ singing and dancing in our hearts this day, in his joy at having brought about our salvation!