We live inside paradox. Humans generally don’t like to admit it—we much prefer tidy, stable, comprehensible, logical ways of getting through the day—but paradox is woven into the fabric of this particular universe we inhabit.

Light is both a particle and a wave
Imaginary numbers describe the math of physical phenomena
Love and grief are inextricably linked
As are rage and sorrow
Suffering and compassion
Life and death

Time itself is both linear and cyclical
Each person’s life traces a single arc, yet patterns emerge and re-emerge
Fear always seems to return
Goodness knows terror finds its way back into the news
We always seem in need of help to roll back big stones that block our way

Yet we also come back to the alleluia,
even if its absence has gone on far longer than the forty days of Lent
We raise each other’s spirits when our sacred places seem empty
We anoint each other
We engage in a demanding faith that asks us to love the next world into being today
We are "joyful though we have considered all the facts"
We practice resurrection

It is Easter again, my friends,
And you are surrounded by a multitude who wish you well.