Monk Mindset Special Edition: Easter & the Resurrection

Reflection on the Monk Mindset and Quote

As a child, I primarily associated Easter with the surprise basket filled with goodies waiting for me on the dining room table. The Easter bunny has trailed into a distant memory. 

Now, I see Easter differently. But if I'm really honest, even after years in the monastery and a relatively strong faith, the mystery of Easter can still remain distant, abstract, not relevant to my life. 

St. Gregory of Nyssa here points to the revolutionary dimension of Jesus’ resurrection as more than the miracle of a person dying for 3 days and coming back to life. It’s a revolutionary event in human history. 

Because God Himself died and came back to life in the human person of Jesus, the door opened for each of us to be totally and resplendently transformed in a resurrected state – spirit and body. This resurrection for each of us starts here on earth and may be completed in life after death – to live eternal life bathed in the love, radical joy, and light of union with God, otherwise known as “heaven”.

Deep in your heart, you yearn for transformation. To become who you know you can be. 

This door for this total transformation is now open to you. It’s open to me. 

So, let the Phoenix rise from the ashes.

Let what must die within you be set aside like burial clothes. 

Arise my beloved and come, for the winter is past and you are destined for glory. 

Put It Into Practice This Week

There is nothing to do. You were born to be reborn. 

Close your eyes and imagine the Resurrected Christ looking warmly at you with a gentle smile. Every fiber of your being is made new. 

This is your home. Remain here as long as you can.  

Add the Monk Mindset Gregorian Chant List to your Spotify!

Wishing you abundant peace this week,

John