SARAH A. CART In times of trouble, look to Easter's message

For a Christian, the greatest miracle is that Jesus Christ not only died for our sins, but on the third day, Easter, he rose again from the dead. It's a promise repeated over and over in Scripture: All things will be made new. Despite fear, violence, pain, loss, we have cause to live in hope, live in love, live into the future.
Where does Sept. 11, 2001, leave us? As buildings burned and people came face to face with death, many shared the answer in their last minutes alive. Knowing they were up against horrific odds, they called their families and friends, the people they loved most in this world, to express love. Facing death, they chose to communicate. To express gratitude for lives shared. To express hope for the future for those they were leaving behind. To tell us to live, to move forward, never to give up hope.
But how do we do that? Where are we headed?
Evildoers have been among us always. Osama bin Laden is not alone in the pantheon of bad guys, he just happens to have grabbed our attention most immediately and horrifically at the moment. Sept. 11 was a shocking tragedy, but not all tragedies are global in scope; some are dearly personal and private. Financial hardships. Illness. A loved one's death.
Providing a chance: Such troubles give us a chance to point things right.
That is the message of Easter -- we have choices: Hope or despair, the future or the past, life or death. The message is also one of love: "For God so loved the world ..." It's good news, it's news of faith.
For a Christian, this means presence in a community where people can learn and experience what love is, what love means. A community full of hope and faith, charity and forgiveness, grace, respect, joy, prayer and reflection, authenticity. A community that promotes continued personal growth, caring and sharing. A community whose members not only support, sustain and participate within that safe cocoon, but who support, sustain and participate in the larger world beyond.
What to hope for? Not that God, like Santa, might indulge us as spoiled children. Rather that he nurture us with freedom and inspire us to pursue truth, justice and compassion. Bless us with the courage to remember our promises and take pleasure and find joy in keeping them. Grace us with strength to uphold and live with our principles.
In the New Testament, St. Paul teaches that "There are varieties of gifts, but the same spirit." That "same spirit" is love. Without it, all a person's varied gifts amount to nothing.
Inspirational: Love can be inspiring. It can be comforting. It can be reassuring and heartwarming and confidence-building. Love can also be demanding, and therein lies a challenge, because the inverse, being demanding, isn't necessarily love. Sometimes, when a loved one acts up or out, love demands taking a stand. Sometimes, when a friend or family member is growing up, or moving on, or dying, it requires letting go.
Jesus came so that mankind might witness the love of God. Society in general, however, blinds itself to that love: When a crisis comes, people know a fear of God, but too many miss the miracle that follows. Easter reminds us. Think, speak and act with compassion in our hearts, lest anyone believe bitterness, pain or anger are more powerful than love.
The Resurrection demonstrates that in the midst of fear, hate and violence, love rises up triumphant. Trust in hope. Forgive and let go. Open up to relationships that have a future. We cannot make ourselves sinless, but we can increase our love; that will make up for a multitude of our past sins.
The power to save what is lost belongs to God, and he does so, again and again. God is abundant and shares freely. From the sense of foreboding at the Last Supper on Maundy Thursday, through the pain and suffering of Good Friday, despite the grief and loss of Holy Saturday, we come to the miracle of Easter Sunday. Endure. Then awaken to a new day, and "rejoice and be glad in it."
XSarah A. Cart is the lay ministry coordinator at St. John's Episcopal Church in Youngstown.