"Sometimes We Live in the Tomb, Not His Resurrection"
Wisdom from University of Notre Dame priest Father David Smith, CSC from the St Joseph Catholic Church Confessional
Writer: “Bless me, Father, for I have sinned — it’s been three days since my last confession.” I make the sign of the cross.
“I confess my rage, bitterness, and anger at God — and I confess I 'hit the rock twice' like Moses in Numbers (1) because I do not trust God, nor His people, with this world.
“The free will we humans have - we use so badly! And Father, I have so much to do! I’m overwhelmed by what God asks of me. I don’t have the time! And I confess I don’t trust God. It’s the same confession I’ve had for 10 years!
“I resent what God asks of me - what he put on my heart. I cannot do it, Father in the time I have. I’ve got the book, my freelance pieces, the story about the Amish which, I hope, the Wall Street Journal publishes.”
“I’m trying to help a young priest get a new assignment; he’s from another country, and stupidly and idiot-like acted like a moron driver; I’m asking “important people,” (we’re all important) among our USA Catholic Church hierarchy to give him a second chance before he returns to his country where he’ll likely be kidnapped and/or murdered.”
“The Amish family whose three children were killed on their pony cart? I’d lived with and among their community while writing of them; the young lady who drove the car that killed them? I was her nanny. I taught her to drive. Sober, undistracted, attentive to the speed limit, she accidentally struck them. Truly it was an accident. Yet, I’m devastated. I’m planning a silent prayer memorial and fundraiser. But it’s all so much, Father. The world’s cruel, Father. It’s cruel.”
Suddenly my cell phone BLARES LOUDLY into the still, quiet, tranquil Saturday morning Holy Hour of South Bend, Indian’s St Joseph Catholic Church today April 26, 2025 in the Year of Our Lord the lyrics to Goodbye Yesterday! by Elevation Rhythm & Gracie Binion from the confessional with the lyrics:
“Hands up!! Goodbye, yesterday. I'm livin' in the light of a new day
I won't waste another minute in my old ways. Praise the Lord, I've been born again! Goodbye, yesterday. I'm livin' in the light of a new day. I won't waste another minute in my old ways. Praise the Lord, I've been born again (Yeah!) Hey Oh, I've been born again!” (2)
Hopping from the bike I’d forgotten to exit Youtube with this song my sister Stephanie had sent and neglected to silence and shut off my I-phone.
I include the paragraph of lyrics because that’s how long it took my frozen fingers to dig the I-phone from my training gear, push the PAUSE & OFF buttons, and power down the phone as the song BLARED to the church.
They were frozen from biking a fast 5.2 miles into the wind on an Indiana 47 degree April morning.
I wish I could say this kind of thing never happens to me. Alas, G-d rains his abundant humor upon me in the most awkward moments.
I laugh. So does Father.
“There’s God saying: ‘It’s all Grace!’ Father, I’m going to tell people you gave the song for penance.”
“That’’s my confession. I confess my great ungodly disappointment in God and the world. We do not do enough this side of Heaven with our free will. ”
Father Dan says, “I think sometimes we live in the tomb, — not his resurrection. We take our bitterness, our rage, our resentment, our hurts and we gather them up and make a tomb of our hearts and our minds, and we live there in that dead and quiet place.
He adds, “We’re living in the place of the dead - but Christ is not there!" (Luke 24: 6) Christ is not in the tomb. He is resurrected. He conquered sin and death. We need to rejoice in Him and be glad.” (3)
I realize I’m like the weeping Mary Magdalene when she saw the empty tomb and was so overcome with grief she mis-took Christ for a gardener.
Our human emotions and nursed resentments blind us to Christ, joy, life.
By grace, I’d just had a Resurrection moment, though embarrassing!
We are a Resurrection people, and the “joy of the Lord is our STRENGTH!” (Nehemiah 8:10) That’s what I got from confession. (4)
Above, The Neocatechumenal Way** Catholic choir live, sing, celebrate the Resurrection joy at their Easter 2024 mass in South Bend, Indiana.
Below, in the spirit of living in the joy of the Resurrection, one sees a priest, alongside young people, of The Neocatechumenal Way, of South Bend, Indiana crack open a giant chocolate Easter egg - with gifts inside — after his and his parishioners’ Easter celebration of the Resurrection, an all-night mass followed by a three hour family organized parish brunch.
“Father, you’re right. You’re right. Thank you. I needed to hear that,” I say as I strike my heart with an open fist.
He replies, “And Carol we may not finish all the projects God sets before us. We may not. You may not. And that’s okay.”
“Someone else may finish them for us? Or take up the work?” I say
“God entrusts us to do certain works, His works. We are each of us called to take up the cross and follow him -not to the tomb to STAY IN THE TOMB, but to live fully in the joy of the Resurrection! We are entrusted with His projects, His—
I interrupt with: “Biggest mistake! Biggest mistake ever! God trusting people.”
“Yes, I’ve wondered that myself- Paul says in Corinthians “But we hold this treasure in earthen vessels,” (5), and that’s us, Carol. “
“We’re the earthen vessels. We’re weak and fragile and easily broken, but that’s how God is made manifest. God is glorified in and through us. People see we’re imperfect, and we’re broken, and they know ONLY God could have done this work through them.”
“You’re right. I needed to hear this.”
I finish my confession with an act of contrition, and my penance is to read slowly all of Psalm 118, which is quite beautiful — all mercy, love, and trust.
I finish the Holy Hour.
I make a real life “Super Woman,” change of clothes from sweaty bike racing training gear into my fancy Michael Kors(esque) wrap-around little black dress and pull on my cute, kicky Clark grey-green suede boots.
Biking to my favorite cafe to write, edit, and plan I know I’ll complete barely 50% of my editing, writing, and planning projects — but I’m confident I’ll have 100% success in surrendering my trust and the work to the Lord Jesus Christ.
Like Fr. Dan, CSC, so Paul the evangelist says to each of us in Philippians, Ch 1, verse 6 says: “I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work in you will continue to complete it until the day of Christ Jesus.” (6)
Today that work is to live in the joy of the Resurrection and to listen to a lot of Goodbye, Yesterday Elevation Rhythm and to trust that God’s got this.
God’s got me - God’s got all of the plans, the writing, the people of my heart.
**The Neocatechumenal Way website
______________________________________
footnotes
(1) “Sin of Moses and Aaron. Then the glory of the Lord appeared to them, and the Lord said to Moses:
Take the staff and assemble the community, you and Aaron your brother, and in their presence COMMAND THE ROCK TO yield its waters. Thereby you will bring forth water from the rock for them, and supply the community and their livestock with water.
So Moses took the staff from its place before the Lord, as he was ordered.
Then Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly in front of the rock, where he said to them, “Just listen, you rebels! Are we to produce water for you out of this rock?”
Then, raising his hand, Moses STRUCK THE ROCK TWICE WITH HIS STAFF, and water came out in abundance, and the community and their livestock drank.
But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron: BECAUSE YOU DID NOT HAVE CONFIDENCE IN ME, to ACKNOWLEDGE MY HOLINESS before the Israelites, therefore you shall not lead this assembly into the land I have given them.
These are the waters of Meribah, where the Israelites QUARRELED WITH THE LORD, and through which he displayed his holiness.
Nota bena: CAPITALIZATIONS, italics, bold font by the writer. citation: Numbers chapter 20: verses 7-13, USCCB website, transl. New American Bible (NAB) https://bible.usccb.org/bible/numbers/20
(2) All rights reserved Goodbye Yesterday Written by Joshua Holiday, Gracie Binion, Mitch Wong, Steven Furtick ©2024 Music by Elevation Worship Publishing // Elevation Worship Publishing 2 // Original Wong Publishing / Bell Music Publishing // Three Tulips / Dvout Music Songs CCLI: 7231931 See
(3) Luke 24:6 “He is not here, but he has been raised. Remember what he said to you while he was still in Galilee..” USCCB website, Bible. translation New American Bible.
(4) Nehemiah 8:10 USCCB, Bible, translation, New American Bible, “He continued: “Go, eat rich foods and drink sweet drinks, and allot portions to those who had nothing prepared; for today is holy to our LORD. Do not be saddened this day, for rejoicing in the LORD is your strength!” USCCB website, Bible.
(5) The Paradox of the Ministry BUT WE HOLD THIS TREASURE IN EARTHERN VESSELS, that the SURPASSING POWER MAY BE OF GOD AND NOT FROM US. We are afflicted in every way, but not constrained; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our body. For we who live are constantly being given up to death for the sake of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may be manifested in our mortal flesh.
Nota bena: CAPITALIZATIONS, italics, bold font by the writer. 2 Corinthians chapter 7: verses 7-10 USCCB website, transl. New American Bible (NAB) https://bible.usccb.org/bible/2corinthians/4
(6) Philippians chapter 1: verse 6, USCCB, Bible, translation: New American Bible. source: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/philippians/1