Speaking to a (literally) empty congregation at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City (but virtually streamed), Cardinal Timothy Dolan earlier today gave his annual Easter Sermon.
Drawing a metaphor between the “empty tomb” that was found by Mary Magdelene that morning and the “fullness of Christ” it allowed to emerge, and the feeling of “emptiness” we feel on this particular Easter Sunday vs. the “fullness” that Easter normally represents, Cardinal Dolan may have hit on a profound point that’s even more relevant to the moment than even he might have intended.
In other words, it’s the idea that “emptiness” might lead to “fullness” if we turn away from what has gone empty – whether it be Jesus’ dead body in the tomb, or the daily activities of our lives in the age of COVID19 (i.e. going out to eat, commuting to the office, taking that ride to the mall, taking that vacation, buying that new car, buying that second house, going to that cocktail party) – and instead, use the opportunity to fill ourselves with a new, perhaps better, sense of purpose and renewal. What may have once filled our lives with “purpose” (or at least filled the time) might well be dead (at least for now) but will we bother to take the opportunity to re-evaluate if we were filling it with the right things in the first place?
Well, we know the Federal Reserve for one hasn’t been thinking that way, for any “dead bodies” (at least the well-connected ones) always manage to be kept alive through bailouts and QE, even if just as zombies, before they ever have a chance to actually die. Therefore, much like the “market” itself, true renewal is never allowed to actually happen. A seemingly eternal cycle of propping up the dead bodies, and crowding out the new ideas and investment, has been the rule of our era.
That said, if we want to learn from the lesson of Easter – a pivotal point in history, that led to the branching off of what would become the world’s largest religion (whatever you think of the institution itself, think about the millions who follow it, and for a reason) – we might take a moment to think if this could be a turning point for our economy and society. At least, it might be a moment to take a critical look at our economic system – is it truly serving the needs, wants, morals, values of its people? Or are Jay Powell, Steve Mnuchin (and the likes of Janet Yellen, Ben Bernanke, Tim Geithner, Hank Paulson, Alan Greenspan, etc… before them), along with all the connected Wall Street insiders & lobbyists, playing the modern-day role of Pontius Pilate & the Romans in a world that’s thirsting for a better way forward?
There’s been a palpable feeling of emptiness out there, especially since 2008, when it comes to our current system of money & finance. Perhaps this Easter Sunday might mark the subtle beginning of a new way of thinking that, hundreds of years from now, we might look back on and celebrate as “year zero” of a more enlightened existence.
Hope & faith.