In the Haggadah, prayed at Passover by Jews, we find this ancient prayer:
How many gifts God has bestowed on us! Had God brought us out of Egypt and not divided the sea for us, it would have been enough!
Had God divided the sea and not permitted us to cross on dry land, it would have been enough!
Had God permitted us to cross the sea on dry land and not sustained us for forty years in the desert, it would have been enough!
Had God sustained us for forty years in the desert and not fed us manna, it would have been enough!
Had God fed us with manna and not given us the Sabbath, it would have been enough!
Had God given us the Sabbath and not brought us to Mt. Sinai, it would have been enough!
Had God brought us to Mt. Sinai and not given us the Torah, it would have been enough!
Had God given us the Torah and not led us to the land of Israel, it would have been enough!
Had God led us into the land of Israel and not built for us the temple, it would have been enough!
Had God built for us the temple and not sent us the prophets of truth, it would have been enough!
Had God sent us prophets of truth and not made us a holy people, it would have been enough!
Perhaps it would have been enough for us and we would have been content to celebrate Passover but God knew that there was much more that had to be done if salvation was to be universally experienced. Had God made us a holy people and not sent his son, God knows that would not have been enough.
Had God sent his son and not have him die on the cross, God knows that would not have been enough. Had God had his son die on the cross and not rise from the dead, God knows even that would not have been enough. The good news that Jesus shared would have died with his disciples. At best, he would be remembered along with Aristotle and Plato as a renowned teacher. But God had his son rise from the dead, and from the moment Mary Magdalene discovered the empty tomb, we have celebrated each Easter what will be our ultimate odyssey, crossing over from death to new life, from evil to light, from this world to the next, namely, our own resurrection to eternal life. There is no separation of the body and soul on earth, nor will there be in heaven.
To proclaim the resurrection of Jesus Christ is to proclaim new life for us in the face of death. Just as the Passover depicts the passage of the ancient Jews from oppression in Egypt to new life in the Promised Land, Easter has always been the story for us of new life, not only for the risen Lord, but also for those who follow in his footsteps.
What makes this story so important? First of all, the resurrection is God’s endorsement of everything Jesus claimed and taught. Jealous men in search of power could not destroy Jesus by hanging him on a tree. No, God had the final word.
Secondly, this faith event is the cause of our salvation. In his letter to the Corinthians, Paul tells us if Christ had not risen from the dead, our faith would be futile and we would still be mired in sin. The first born of the dead, Jesus Christ, gives us the assurance that we are bound for the same destiny. The risen Christ represents the starting point of our journey.
Every journey begins with a first step and for the Christian, that first step is baptism. At the Easter Vigil, many people around the world joined the Church through this sacrament. For them, this night marks their emergence into the fullness of new life, liberated from the darkness of sin. Easter is also a fitting moment for those of us who are already baptized to renew our baptismal promises, for as Paul said to the Romans, “You must think of yourselves as being dead to sin and living for God in Christ Jesus.”
As the baptized, we are also message bearers. None of us would be gathered here had Mary Magdalene not shared the news of the empty tomb with the other disciples. For some people, the story of Easter may seem too incredulous to believe yet that is what compels so many of us to do just that. The resurrection of Jesus laid the groundwork that love, compassion, generosity, humility and selflessness would ultimately triumph over hatred, bigotry, prejudice, despair, greed and death. Alleluia! What the world has been desperately yearning for, countless generations of Christians have found in the risen Lord. How blessed we are that God sent us his risen son who fills us with hope and new life! God sees that it is enough! A blessed Easter to you and your loved ones!