Background:
These words were written not only for the Apostles but for all Christians even up to our own time, especially for those who are nervous or who worry or who think that the Holy Spirit is about to abandon the church.
It is a message of hope for those who think the situation is hopeless – which, as Gilbert Chesterton observed is the only time that hope is a virtue.
Jesus is risen indeed as the Orthodox Easter greeting says. And He is still with us. And he will always take care of us and protect us no matter how many idiot things we may do.
Story:
There was this young army reservist who had attended college on a military program. After the served his term in the army, he was put on inactive reserve. He had fallen in love and married a wonderful woman. They had lovely, if contentious twins, and he was moving ahead rapidly in his job – financial services, what else?
Then he was mobilized and with little training and inadequate equipment he was deployed to Iraq. He was a good officer and protected his men as best he could, though often he had no idea what to do He was wounded twice but returned to duty. Then his unit was redeployed back to America with assurance that he would never have to return to Iraq.The twins were bigger, more attractive, and more contentious. Someone had replaced him the fast tract in his company.
Then, when it was almost time for him to leave the reserved and, despite all promises, he was deployed to Iraq again. When that deployment was almost over, he was badly wounded. After months in a hospital and then in a rehabilitation center, he finally went home. The twins, now well behaved young persons celebrated. I guess God didn’t take good care of you, one of his friends said.
Hey, the young man replied, I’m still alive!