In his book, Let Christ...
Illustration
In his book, Let Christ Easter in Us, Dare to Be Christ: Homilies for the Nineties, Walter J. Burghardt tells of the Jesuit poet Gerard Manley Hopkins and an ambitious poem he wrote titled "The Wreck of the Deutschland." In this poem, Hopkins commemorates the death of five Franciscan nuns who drowned at the mouth of the Thames River in the winter of 1875 as a result of the shipwreck. Burghardt writes, "One half-line especially intrigues me: 'Let him easter in us. Let Christ easter in us.' A rare verb indeed, but it suits this sacred season."
Burghardt asks the question: "How does Christ 'easter' in us?" He then goes on to give what he calls "three wondrous ways." He says, "First, by a faith that rises above doubt. Second, by a hope that conquers despair, and third, by a love that does justice."
Burghardt asks the question: "How does Christ 'easter' in us?" He then goes on to give what he calls "three wondrous ways." He says, "First, by a faith that rises above doubt. Second, by a hope that conquers despair, and third, by a love that does justice."
