“We, Too, Must Run”

I recently stumbled upon this Easter Thursday message from Fr. Frank Pavone at Priests for Life, commenting on the scene from Scripture that is depicted in the painting above — the Official Artwork of Running Catholic:

On the morning of Jesus’ resurrection, there was a lot of running taking place. The women, having seen the empty tomb, ran back to the disciples. Peter and John, having heard the women’s story, ran toward the tomb. And in the end, of course, all the apostles ran into the world to announce this greatest news of history.

We, too, must run. The victory of life over death is definitive, and yet it is still unfolding. We fight the power of death as we defend human life, especially the unborn. It is time to run, to announce the Gospel of Life with vigor ...

While speed and intensity may vary, there is really no such thing as a “slow” or “easy” run. Slow is walking. Easy is sitting down. Running, by its very nature, conveys a sense of urgency or, to use Fr. Pavone’s word, “vigor.” And this vigor, which runners develop in their exercise, has so many applications to the rest of life, specifically our calling “to run, to announce the Gospel of Life.”

“I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly,” Our Lord tells us (John 10:10). It is our duty to share that message with the very same intensity of those disciples who ran with such vigor on that first Easter morning.