The Heart That Beats in Us

One Heart, Five Witnesses, and the Word That Cannot Be Buried

Blessed Sisters

As my feet settled into the rich soils of the earth, I realized I was not far from the empty tomb. While my body stood still, my heart yet danced with the Wild Christ and my soul stirred with the vision of Imma in all her many splendors. The Risen Christ was no longer set before my eyes, but I knew he would always be with me.

I turned and witnessed the rapture on the faces of my companions. Joanna, Mary of Clopas, Salome, and Susanna stood enraptured, their eyes locked to the place where the Risen Christ greeted me.

“Blessed Sisters,” I said to them, “Have you seen the glory of the Lord?”

They answered in one voice, “Holy, Holy, Holy One. God of power, God of Might. Heaven and earth are filled with your glory. Hosanna in the highest.”

As they spoke, I heard the voices of the seraphim with them as all the world rejoiced in this blessed day.

“Our eyes are open, our hearts are healed,” I said with joy. “We are called to a holy work. Blessed be the apostles of the resurrection, who carry life and witness to those who hear the voice of the Shepherd.”

“Blessing and blessed are the children of the Light,” the women said in unison.

I responded, “The heart that was stilled by the cruelty and hate of empire, beats again in the great life of the world. This same heart now beats in us and in all we share the message with. One heart undefeated by scorn and villainy, beating in all the children of the Word, Light, and Presence.”

No Grave Could Hold His Light

I turned to the first woman and said, “Blessed Joanna, healed and made free, the Living Christ called you from the courts of earthly power. Blessed is the good news you carry from the empty tomb. You turned wealth into mercy, privilege into service, and mourning into witness. Holy Joanna, conqueror of the lords of Babylon, help us to resist the powers of fear, place all we possess in the service of liberation, and speak the truth of resurrection until every captive is free.”

Joanna bowed in grace and said, “I saw the Risen Christ not far from where you were standing. Light shone from him expelling the darkness from the world. Darkness fled from his unconquerable light. No shadow fell upon his glorious visage and his breath filled the worlds with life. No grave could hold his unconquered light, since the name of the Holy is upon him.

“He spoke to me and said, ‘Joanna, who supported my work while I was with you in body, continue as I am with you in spirit. The Kin-dom has come. Tell others what you have witnessed, and call the people home.’”

The grace of her testimony blessed my heart, and the world greened as she spoke. In blessing, we parted so the world might know the glory of the Risen Christ.

The One Who Holds It Together

I turned to the second woman and said, “Blessed Mary of Clopas, faithful sister of our Lady and steadfast disciple, the grace of Christ strengthened you to remain at our side. Blessed is the love that carried you toward the sealed tomb. You followed Jesus from Galilee, and served the kin-dom well. You stood beside Mother Mary when the sword pierced her heart. You watched where the wounded body was laid. Holy Mary of Clopas, witness of the cross and bearer of resurrection, help us to remain beside those who suffer, serve without seeking recognition, and walk in love.”

Mary clasped her hands over her heart and said, “When I arrived I saw an angel sitting within the empty tomb. He told me the Christ had risen. My heart leapt, and I turned and saw my nephew standing with you. My thoughts drifted to my brother-in-law, Joseph, and I wished he could have lived to see this day, but I knew he lived too. The Christ will remain with us always through all our struggles and joy. In His arms and heart we shall always live.

“As I watched him, I remembered the boy who modeled the clay and sought the wisdom of his Father. Now, he stood, not just as a man, but as a wellspring of life, light, and wisdom. He remains, so we may be strong, and grow together in the kin-dom.”

The grace of her testimony moved me, and I wondered about the Christ as a boy, and the life he lived before we knew him. Mystery invited me in and I gave thanks to Mary. In blessing we parted, so the world might know the steadfast love of the One who sustains it and holds it together.

The Great Circle of Life

I turned to the third woman and said, “Blessed Salome, faithful disciple and seeker of wisdom, the grace of Christ transformed your longing and made service a path to wholeness. Blessed are the questions that opened your heart to truth. You followed Jesus through Galilee. You sustained his companions with your labor. You loved your children fiercely and learned that greatness is not dominion, but service. You stood before the cross. You carried spices toward the tomb without knowing who would move the stone. Holy Salome, witness of suffering, questioner at the table, and herald of the undivided life, teach us to transform our ambition into service, our grief into compassion, and our questions into wisdom.”

Salome raised her palms to the heavens and said, “I saw you with the Risen One, standing at his right hand, and I understood the answer to my prayer most fully. It was not for me to ask who would be at our Lord’s left and right side, but to wait for it to be made known. As when he walked among us in flesh and blood, I now know that he will be with us always, all of us, not just a few. All are chosen, but not all come to sit at our Lord’s table.

“I watched him with you, and it was as if the two of you danced through the heavens and the earth, even though you stood and talked as you and I are now. What a mystery. What a wonder that has been revealed to us this day. Every day, from morning to night, may we live as close kin to the Living One, and to one another in the great circle of life.”

The grace of her testimony moved me, and I saw the face of the Risen One reflected in her eyes. In blessing we parted, so the world might seek the mysteries of kinship with God in Christ.

Living Sacraments of His Grace

I turned to the fourth woman and said, “Blessed Susanna, healed by Christ and called into his life. Blessed is the generosity that became bread, shelter, and communion. You followed Jesus along the roads of Galilee and offered what was yours. You learned that spirit moves through matter, that grace takes flesh, and that care is not beneath the work of God, but is the work. Holy Susanna, bearer of the Living Christ, teach us so our healing may become our path, our possessions may become our communion, and our hidden labor may release light into the world.”

Susanna cupped her hands before her and said, “I watched him converse with you and with every word he uttered, light and healing flowed from him into the world. I knew at once he is truly the Way, the Truth, and the Life. His voice reverberated within me. Sweet joy of my life, he will walk with us through all the paths we will go.

“The healing he worked in me still lives and rushes forth to heal others. His blessing makes us living sacraments of his grace. We must strive to ever be the blessing of grace to all those around us as we live in this world and into the next.”

The grace of her testimony moved me, and I welcomed it to wash over me. In blessing we parted, so the world might circulate with the blessings of God.

Life More Abundantly

I looked back at the empty tomb, and a white raven stood at the opening. It pecked the ground three times and cawed, before taking flight. My spirit leapt within me, and my breath stilled.

Slowly, I turned back to the path and took my first steps from this place. Each footfall rooted deep within the earth while my heart soared high into the heavens. My heart beat steady and strong. With each beat, an angel ran up through my body, then down through my body. It was like they danced in a great circle between heaven and earth within me.

This place was holy, as was every place my foot touched. This wasn’t because of my presence, but because the Christ lived there. In the dust and the grass, in the stone and the soil, Christ lives there. All the land was holy, as was the air, the seas, the lakes, and the rivers. I could hear him laugh in the light of the sun, and weep in the rain.

Every step carried me deeper into him. Every moment brought me home.

Now, the task was clear, to find the apostles in the places they hide and the disciples along the way and to tell them the good news. Relationships do not end at death. The One we followed in life is still with us and will always be. He lives, even though the force of empire poured its wrath out upon him, crushing his body in hopes of extinguishing his light.

This light has always been, from before the very beginning, and shall always remain. Dance in its glory, and find the life and peace that is ever there.

Speak the Word in season and out, and he will always be with us. The Word is life, and life more abundantly.

You were not born broken. Fifteen billion years of the universe’s grace says otherwise, and this book shows you how to live from that. Creation’s Paths: A Creation Spirituality Primer, foreword by Matthew Fox.