Thomas Griffin 6/16/25
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Let Us Begin: New Book on the Life and Power of St. Francis
Easter is over, but its impact should never leave us.
As we continue into the liturgical season of Ordinary Time it can be tempting to simply forget the mysteries that we have just experienced. Too often we can convince ourselves that if there is not something “exciting” going on in the church then we do not have to elevate our spiritual lives. However, nothing could be further from the truth.
While the season of Lent is an opportune time to hone in on the practices that fuel holiness, and while the Easter season is abundant in the graces that follow our sacrifices – we must never be satisfied with our relationship with God. This critical fact is true and ever relevant because there is no finish line that we can reach when experiencing the presence of God.
Every single day is an opportunity to sit with Him and see him look at us face-to-face. The entire spiritual life can be likened to a friendship or a relationship that one has with their spouse. There are moments and seasons where celebrations are more prominent and spending time together is more exciting, but the relationship ought to remain strong, no matter the level of excitement.
Currently, there are no Lenten initiatives to join. There are no Holy Week preparations to make. However, the call to radical discipleship is alive and well. It is precisely in the ordinary that we are invited to meet the living God.
The Latin word ordinarius can be translated as “the regular arrangement of order.” What should our spiritual lives be arranged and ordered to? Encountering the risen and living Jesus who has conquered the grave. This is the calling of Ordinary Time and it is the fuel that should power every disciple to live a life of daily prayer.
A great way to remember this fact and call to mind the power of the resurrection is to begin one’s prayer time with meditating on the scene of the empty tomb. Making the commitment to rise early in the morning to pray is a centuries-old tradition. It has its roots in giving good firstfruits of our day. As soon as we wake we can turn to Him, the One responsible for giving us life and holding us in existence.
You can sit calmly in a chair. Take a few deep breaths. Close your eyes. Then picture yourself at the grave of Jesus on that first Easter morning. The grief of the disciples is raw and real. Their teacher has been killed. Their hope for the future has been destroyed. Watch the women as they arrive at the tomb to anoint Jesus’ body properly. Catch their eyes as they realize the stone has been taken.
See Peter and John racing from the horizon with their eyes pierced at the burial site of Jesus. They see the empty burial cloths and run away in hopeful expectation. As they leave, Mary Magdalene remains behind and Jesus calls her by name. She is charged with spreading the news that Jesus has conquered the grave. Faith and hope are utterly revitalized.
Beginning with the empty tomb in prayer reminds us that Jesus is alive and that he calls us by name to be in a loving relationship with him, especially in the ordinary. So, as we continue to travel through this season let us accept the call to arrange our time in accordance with the light emanating forth from the broken open grave of the Son of God. Doing so will bring us into direct contact with Jesus and will drive us into a deeper embrace with love itself.
Thomas Griffin is the chairperson of the religion department at a Catholic high school on Long Island where he lives with his wife and three children. He has a masters degree in theology and is a masters candidate in philosophy. Thomas is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Empty Tomb Project: The Magazine. He is the author of Let Us Begin: Saint Francis’s Way of Becoming Like Christ and Renewing the World.
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