{"id":26792,"date":"2026-04-10T10:13:20","date_gmt":"2026-04-10T14:13:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/?p=26792"},"modified":"2026-04-10T10:36:40","modified_gmt":"2026-04-10T14:36:40","slug":"the-easter-story-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/?p=26792","title":{"rendered":"The Easter Story"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Phil Wickham - Living Hope (Official Lyric Video)\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ifFovH-dhHw?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Resurrection Is Possible Now<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p>Friday, April 10, 2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Father Richard describes how it\u2019s possible to experience resurrection through experiencing God\u2019s love:<\/em>\u202f<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>We don\u2019t need to wait for death to experience resurrection.<\/strong> <strong>We can begin resurrection today by living connected to God. Resurrection happens every time we love someone even though they were not very loving to us.<\/strong> At that moment we have been brought to new life. <strong>Every time we decide to trust and begin<\/strong> <strong>again, even after repeated failures, we are resurrected. <\/strong>Every time we refuse to become negative, cynical, or hopeless, we are experiencing the Risen Christ. We don\u2019t have to wait for it later. Resurrection is always possible\u00a0<em>now<\/em>.\u202f\u202f<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The resurrection is not Jesus\u2019s private miracle; it\u2019s the new shape of reality. It\u2019s the new shape of the world. It\u2019s filled with grace. It\u2019s filled with possibility. It\u2019s filled with newness. \u202f\u202f<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The resurrection is not a miracle story to prove the divinity of Christ, something that makes him the winner. <strong>It\u2019s a storyline that allows us all to be winners. ALL! No exceptions! T<\/strong>here\u2019s no eternal death for anybody:\u202fAll are invited to\u202fdraw upon this infinite Source, this infinite Mystery, this infinite Love, this infinite Possibility. <strong>Spiritually speaking, we live in a world of abundance, of infinity, but most of us walk<\/strong> <strong>around operating in a world of scarcity<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>And so we hoard it\u2014Spirit, Love, Life\u2014to ourselves. We hoard grace and we hoard mercy. We don\u2019t allow ourselves to be conduits through which it pours into the world<\/strong>.<strong> Truly, the only way we can hold onto grace, mercy, love, joy\u2014or any spiritual gift\u2014is to give them away consciously and intentionally<\/strong>. <strong>If we stop acting as a conduit, we lose them ourselves<\/strong>. <strong>That\u2019s why there are so many sad, bitter, and angry people. Disconnected from God, we choose death and contribute to negativity, cynicism, anger, and even the oppression of other races and religions.\u202f[1<\/strong>]<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I believe the meaning of the resurrection of Jesus is summed up in the climactic line from the Song of Songs: \u201cLove is stronger than death\u201d (8:6). In Christian art, the risen Christ often holds a blank, white banner; if that banner should say anything, it should say: \u201cLove will win!\u201d<strong> Love is all that remains. Love and <\/strong>life are f<strong>inally the same thing, and we know that for ourselves once we have walked through death.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Remember, Love has you. Love\u00a0<em>is<\/em>\u00a0you. Love alone, and your deep need for love, recognizes love everywhere else. <strong>Remember that you already are what you are seeking<\/strong>. <strong>Any fear \u201cthat your lack of fidelity could cancel God\u2019s fidelity, is absurd\u201d (Romans 3:3), says Paul. Love has finally overcome fear<\/strong>, <strong>and your house is being rebuilt on a new and solid foundation. <\/strong>This foundation was always there, but it took you a long time to find it, for \u201cIt is love alone that lasts\u201d (1 Corinthians 13:13). All you have loved in your life and been loved by is eternal and true. [2]<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>_________________________________________________________<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>John Chaffee <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>1.<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>\u201cSpirit is always present, just as the sun is always shining above the clouds.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>&#8211;&nbsp;<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Dan_Millman\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Dan Millman, American Author<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This felt poetic and true.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Whatever Spirit is, it is always present and just beyond our perception.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><tbody><tr><td><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>2.<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>\u201cThe curious paradox is that when I accept myself just as I am, then I can change.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>&#8211;&nbsp;<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Carl_Rogers\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Carl Rogers, American Psychologist<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is something I think about often. \u00a0<strong>None of us can change until we have a sense that we are unconditionally loved as we are, and that includes even ourselves.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Until we accept ourselves as we are, we are still trying to change a false version of ourselves, a version of ourselves that doesn&#8217;t really exist anyway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We have to start with reality. \u00a0<strong>We have to begin with who we are in this exact moment, with all the warts, memories, scars, humors, faults, strengths, sins, and glories. \u00a0T<\/strong>hat is the whole person, that is the person who actually exists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>I think this is the wisdom of grace. \u00a0Grace takes us as we are. <\/strong>\u00a0<strong>However, in religious circles, we feel as though we must change who we are to then warrant that same grace.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Fortunately, after enough failed attempts at changing ourselves, grace interrupts those attempts and tells us that even if we never change, we are still loved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><tbody><tr><td><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>3.<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>\u201cBidden or not bidden, God is Present.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>&#8211;&nbsp;<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Carl_Jung\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Carl Jung, Swiss Psychotherapist<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Apparently, this was written above Carl Jung&#8217;s doorway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It is probably another way of saying the first quote from Dan Millman today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, the difference is that here the question is not about one&#8217;s ability to see the Spirit, but whether someone has asked God to be present. &nbsp;It leads me to think that whether a person is a theist or an atheist, it does not matter; God is always present.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><tbody><tr><td><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>4.<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>\u201cThroughout the time of my showings, I wished to know what our Beloved meant. More than fifteen years later, the answer came in a spiritual vision. This is what I heard. \u201cWould you like to know our Lord&#8217;s meaning in all this? Know it well: love was his meaning. Who revealed this to you? Love. What did he reveal to you? Love. Why did he reveal it to you? For love. Stay with this<\/strong>,<strong>&nbsp;and you will know more of the same. You will never know anything but love, without end.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>&#8211;&nbsp;<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Julian_of_Norwich\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Julian of Norwich, English Mystic<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This might be one of the best sections from Julian&#8217;s Revelations of Divine Love. &nbsp;It comes at the very end of her infamous book.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I think what draws me to Julian&#8217;s insights is the absolute primacy of the Love of God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Everything is created by, for, and through Divine Love. &nbsp;All that is good, beautiful, and true is an expression of that same Love. &nbsp;All that is wrong, ugly, and false will be made right by Love.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And, for our purposes now, Love is simply another name for God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><tbody><tr><td><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>5.<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>\u201cSpiritual maturity begins when we choose to bow before something greater than ourselves rather than to give in to self-destructive tendencies.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>&#8211;&nbsp;<\/strong><strong>Unknown<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It is when we begin to live by a standard higher than ourselves, and, dare I say, even higher than the surrounding culture, that we enter into spiritual maturity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For many people, their highest ethic lies within themselves; for others, their morality is defined by the social majority. \u00a0<strong>However, there is something even larger than the surrounding culture or social majority: the infinite mystery we call &#8220;God.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><tbody><tr><td><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Which Quote Most Jumped Out at You?<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><tbody><tr><td><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Resurrection Is Possible Now Friday, April 10, 2026 Father Richard describes how it\u2019s possible to experience resurrection through experiencing God\u2019s love:\u202f We don\u2019t need to wait for death to experience resurrection. We can begin resurrection today by living connected to God. Resurrection happens every time we love someone even though they were not very loving [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26792"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=26792"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26792\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":26795,"href":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26792\/revisions\/26795"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=26792"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=26792"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=26792"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}