We celebrate Earth Day, appropriately,  during the Long Day of Easter. 

How slowly do his disciples understand the mystery of the Resurrection of Jesus ! Some at first,  like Thomas, need hard evidence he is alive. For them life ends in death.  Some, like Peter and John,  see at first only the burial cloths in the tomb and wonder if he, like Lazarus, has come back from the dead.  Most of them, like the disappointed disciples on the way to Emmaus, had limited hope in him. They saw him restoring Israel to a place among the nations. A Secular Messiah.

As he appeared to them and ate with them and spoke with them their hopes grew.  He  broke bread with them and explained the scriptures.  Go to Galilee and meet him there, they were told. At the lake, according to John’s gospel, Jesus commanded them to bring his message to a wider world. In Mark’s gospel, he gave his command from a mountain. 

Their understanding of the mystery of the Resurrection grew. “He rose from the dead, according to the scriptures.” He brings the promise of  life to generations before and generations ahead. As Lord of all ages, his message of eternal life goes out to the heavens and the earth.  

 Jesus Christ is not just a solitary man brought back to life. He is, “the image of the invisible God.” In him all things have their being. He brings the promise of life to a broken world. Not just to one, or a few, but all. Not just to one nation, or a few, but all. Not just to the human race, but to all creation.

The opening prayer for Mass today recognizes the mysteries we celebrate this Long Week of Easter as “paschal remedies”, medicine for our weakness, healing for our blindness, hope for our doubt, new understanding. We are meant to grow through them.

How like the first disciples we are in our limited understanding of the mysteries of God. Yet God expands our knowledge. Is God expanding our understanding of the Resurrection now, calling our attention to his creature, our Earth. As we reflect on the death of Pope Francis, we recognize his challenge to care from the poor and the marginalized of our world. But let’s not forget his challenge to care for the earth that he made in his great encyclical “Laudato si’ “

Earth Day belongs in the Long Day of Easter.