Sixty million years ago (give or take ten million years either way), a large asteroid struck the Earth somewhere near the Yucatan peninsula in modern day Mexico. The destructive force of the asteroid literally incinerated the surface of the Earth. Within seconds, massive tidal waves and many smaller versions of these tidal waves disrupted marine life the entire world over. Within just a few days, the debris in the atmosphere blocked all light and ended all photosynthesis. Within a few weeks, 99.99% of all life was extinct.
Three years ago, the magnificent cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris was engulfed in a catastrophic fire that gutted its eight-hundred-year-old roof. As news spread, it seemed as if the entire structure would collapse in the horrific way we saw buildings collapse on September 11, 2001. We are learning now that the structure, while with some vulnerabilities, remains intact and money has been pledged from all over the world to restore this magnificent church.
The “asteroid” takes many forms in our lives. In the instant following the crash, it seems as if all hope is lost. While the damage is still being assessed, we are tempted to lose hope that there can be any path forward for us.
The crucifixion of Jesus had an impact greater than the primordial asteroid. The Earth was in a mysterious slumber while Jesus’ body remained entombed. When all hope seemed permanently lost, the women journeyed to the tomb and found the stone rolled away and the tomb empty. The catastrophe of Good Friday became the resurrection of Easter Sunday.
Recently, paleontologists have uncovered a priceless fossil record of the destructive asteroid. The layer of sediment, sixty million years later – about the thickness of an ordinary notebook – now reveals the boundary between The Age of Reptiles and The Age of Mammals. It turns out, we owe our lives to that asteroid – as we were among those creatures who emerged from the rubble. So it is with the Resurrection, and so it is with the “asteroids” that haunt each of us.
Nothing is lost forever! Our souls endure! Blessed Easter to us all!
