“After the Sabbath, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb. And behold, there was a great earthquake.” We don’t think of earthquakes too often for most of them go unnoticed. Two minor earthquakes happened yesterday not far from here but did you notice them? When big ones happen, they are unforgettable. I was in San Francisco for that big one in 1989. We had our last big one, the Nisqually Quake, on Ash Wednesday, 2001.
What can be said about earthquakes can be said about Easter. The first one was a seismic event that shook the world. Mary and her companion must have been scared but the angel told them not to be afraid. Fearful yet overjoyed they ran to tell the disciples. On the way Jesus met them and also said, “Do not be afraid!”
Hopefully we are not afraid, but this year we are celebrating Easter differently. Like the disciples, we are celebrating the resurrection alone, in the silence of our homes instead of in our church, praying and hoping that our faith outweighs what fears we have, mindful also of Jesus’ first words spoken upon rising from the dead, “Do not be afraid!”
My friends, wherever you are, this Easter is like no other. Christians around the world have gathered to celebrate this feast time and time again, but this Easter stands apart as one that will not go by unnoticed or be forgotten.
Alas, we aren’t being allowed to celebrate Easter together but we can still proclaim with our lives our joy in the hope of rebirth. The numbers of those suffering from the corona virus are staggering and we keep them all in our prayers. No one, however, need suffer from the loss of our Easter joy for no pandemic can destroy Easter.
The celebration of Easter stands in stark contrast to our commemoration of Good Friday. That day, there were no flowers or alleluias. Instead, there was the bare cross.
Yet, both Good Friday and Easter, along with Holy Thursday, are bound together into one celebration, the celebration of the Paschal Mystery. The name paschal refers to the lamb, Jesus, who was sacrificed and whose sacrifice brought life.
As you and I both know, God is the source of life, both physically and spiritually. Without God, without a spiritual life, mankind’s existence is limited to the here and now. No eternity. When life ends, that is the finale.
But that first Easter morning changed all that. Jesus’ death was God’s means of restoring life to our brothers and sisters, to us. Jesus rose from the dead and became the source of spiritual life to all who believe in him. That is why we call out, “Alleluia!” We are dead no more. No longer afraid, we are alive in the Lord. The sign of our acceptance of this tenet will happen shortly when we renew our baptismal promises.
What about those who have never been baptized? What happened to the just Jew or the spiritual Hindu? Or the moral humanitarian agnostic or atheist; some whom we number among our friends and relatives? Do they have a future after death? In our intercessions on Good Friday, we prayed for them, keeping in mind that by descending into hell during his time in the tomb Jesus was calling forth all those who desired to do what was right and just, people of good will, who by choosing to do good were choosing to be in union with God, no matter what notion of God they had. We call this baptism by desire.
Our parish is small yet our parish family is much like any other parish. I haven’t heard of anyone being ill with the coronavirus but some are in pain, due to an illness or injury. Some are struggling with being homebound. There are some whose marriages or families have fallen apart or are on hard times; I am concerned about children who have lost the safe haven that their schools provided. Despite the unique circumstances we find ourselves in, I pray that you will find what St. Augustine called happiness in hope, which the joy of Easter offers us. He used that phrase, “happiness in hope” in his writings to describe the Christian attitude in life. He noted that society can only provide lasting happiness if it is united to God.
As followers of Christ, we have to do our share to bring peace and justice to the world, beginning within our homes. We cannot turn our backs on people who are suffering. We have to insist or at least pray that those in leadership use their authority justly and yet, we know that in the end, society alone cannot provide lasting happiness for anyone.
We Christians have as our happiness the hope of eternal life. Easter is the celebration of that hope. Our hope is that we will share in the fullness of the New Life Jesus won for us through His suffering and death. It is also our hope in Christ that helps us endure challenges like the corona virus.
Christ was raised so we can share His New Life. This hope is the Gift that he offers us on Easter! May this day be like that of a big earthquake, one that you will recall for years to come. May the life of the Risen Lord flow through our veins, so that every thought, word and deed of our livesmay shout out: Do not be afraid! Jesus Lives! Alleluia!