Easter is the mystery of our redemption. We who have died and risen with Christ are no longer sinners. Sin is dead in us. The Law has no further hold on us. And yet this is not as simple as it sounds. Our new life in Christ is not a permanent and guaranteed possession, handed over to our control, a “property” which we now definitively have. We are still sus pended over the abyss, and we can still fall back into the awful dread of the alienated man who has lost trust. But the fact remains that if we consent to it, grace and trust are renewed from moment to moment in our lives. They are not a permanent possession but an ever present gift of God’s love. For this liberty to continue, we must really believe in the power of God to sanctify us and keep us saints. We must dare to be saints by the power of God. We must dare to have a holy respect and reverence for ourselves, as we are redeemed and sanctified by the blood of Christ. We must have the courage to grasp the great power that has been given to us, at the same time realizing that this power is always made perfect in infirmity, and that it is not a “possession.”
Thomas Merton
Seasons of Celebration, p. 148
