The world changed when Jesus’s tomb was tossed open, when Mary Magdalene, carrying her spices to anoint his body, found herself rushing to find the apostles, when Thomas’s denials were refuted by the resurrected Jesus. Today may be Easter, but it can feel like we are still in Lent because another resurrection is yet to come. 

Today, I am waiting in anticipation to throw open the tomb that is my house. I cannot wait for the moment to host my friends and family for a barbecue. I am excited to receive communion again and sing in Mass, and yes, I want to go to work. While this time is difficult, I have to say that I have seen this before. As a chaperone for Cristo Rey Jesuit High School in Chicago, I have been blessed to take students to the Farm. On day two of their week of service, they always talk about how they want their phones, their families, and their friends. After a week of deep reflection, prayer, and service, my students always run back home to Chicago eager to tell the world about what they saw and felt at the Farm; they are eager to share their own resurrection story. 

We are in an impossible situation when we tell others about the farm. Often, our audience does not connect the right details because our first time telling the story is so full of excitement. How many times have we heard, “but what do bucket showers have to do with service?” Frequently, I see my students filled with frustration as they go home to Thomas’s doubt. 

When this time of isolation ends, the world will be different. There will be questions about how to live our lives. This Easter, I would like to humbly remind us all that the Farm has answers to those questions; thus, when we get the chance to connect with our communities again and celebrate a different kind of resurrection, let’s live those lives of community, simplicity, prayer, and service just like it was the end of our first week at the Farm. 

-By Rex Ovalle, longtime chaperone and current board of director member