The blessings of the Risen Christ be with you! The message of Easter is indeed incredible; one that has captivated the interest of many people since the first Easter morning so long ago. Jesus Christ is risen from the dead. As Luke tells us, the women from Galilee were puzzled and terrified when they discovered the empty tomb. They weren’t the only ones.
Clearly, what happened was outside the realm of ordinary human experience. Probably no other event has had a greater impact on world history than their discovery of this empty tomb three days after Jesus of Nazareth had been crucified.
Some critics say the event was staged, claiming that Jesus wasn’t really dead when he was taken down from the cross or that the apostles came and took his body away from the tomb in the dark of the night. The ancient Jewish historian, Josephus, wrote, “Some people actually assert that he had risen. Others retort that his friends stole him away. I for one cannot decide where the truth lies.” To me, what makes the notion of a hoax unlikely is that those who witnessed the risen Christ never changed their story even in the face of persecution and death.
Had he not risen from the dead, the good news of Jesus Christ would likely have faded from memory long ago. At best we would remember him as a great ancient teacher like Plato or Aristotle. But he did rise from the dead and within a century this amazing historical truth had spread like wildfire throughout the Roman Empire. This event touched the lives of many people then and, as your presence here testifies, still does today.
Granted, Jesus’ resurrection is a mystery that cannot be fully explained. For those who seek a rational explanation, none can be offered, for as all four gospels relate, there were no witnesses to the actual event itself.
When you stop and think about it, there are many things we believe without understanding. For example, across the street, I often see sheep grazing. Somehow the grass they eat becomes wool that in turn could well become my next woolen sweater but I don’t understand why or how this happens.
The resurrection of Jesus Christ is one mystery Christians have come to believe based on the testimony of those who saw the risen Christ first hand. Judging from other gospel accounts, the body of Jesus Christ that rose on Easter Sunday was radically different from the body that was buried on Good Friday. Jesus did something no other human being has yet experienced. He was transformed.
Unlike his birth or crucifixion, the resurrection of Jesus is the starting point of our Christian faith. For starters, the resurrection gives us reason to believe that life for us will not end when we take our final breath. Rather, we also will be transformed into something new, just as Jesus was. That gives us cause for joy, prompting us to sing, “Alleluia!” That ancient word, which cannot be translated, expresses hope that we will not die. Admittedly, we dare to believe the unbelievable, but then that is what separates us from others who have respected Jesus only as a great teacher and prophet, but not as the Son of God who rose from the dead. We know that without the resurrection, there would have been no Christianity.
On Good Friday, I noted that the last words Jesus said on the cross were, “It is finished.” What was finished wasn’t his life but his last lesson for his disciples. The teacher had done what he could to convey the good news to disciples who had traveled with him for three years. Class was over. With the resurrection, they now understood the full impact of his many lessons. Having encountered the risen Christ, the disciples then ventured forth to proclaim the good news to anyone who would listen.
Nothing could keep them entombed in the upper room, for they had seen first hand that Jesus had triumphed over sin and death. They were moved to share this fantastic news at any cost. They passed on the good news that we could experience new life in Christ not only here in this Easter gathering but also in every celebration of the Eucharist. And that nothing could defeat us any more, not pain, not sorrow, not rejection, not even death.
Fr. Richard Rohr, a renowned Franciscan retreat master, notes, “The tomb becomes a womb today, waiting for rebirth.” Jesus wishes to transform our present lives, just as he transformed the lives of his disciples after his resurrection. We don’t have to wait until we die to share in the risen life of Jesus Christ. We can begin right now, in this Mass, in this Easter celebration.
We are here today because someone in our past shared the good news of Easter with us. Over the past few weeks, you may have noticed local ads on TV inviting Catholics who have been away to come home. I have come to know some who have returned in recent weeks. One observed that all it took was a personal invitation from a parishioner to prompt his return after many years of being away from the Church. He in turn invited someone else to come home. It was moving to watch them both venerate the cross on Good Friday. If you have been away, please accept my invitation to come back again and again.
This day draws more people than usual to prayer. By your presence, you have linked yourself in faith to the risen Christ. Keep in mind that Easter is more than a day; it is a way of life. Every Sunday the Church celebrates Easter anew reminding us that the risen Christ is in our midst inviting us to a new life of faith, hope and love. May the risen Lord continually fill your hearts, your minds, indeed your very lives with his peace, love and joy until the day comes when we too will rise from the dead.