Here is the reflection I prepared for the celebration of the Easter Vigil and for the liturgies of Easter Sunday.
From endless love
to endless life
The liturgy of the Easter Triduum takes place in three
parts: it begins in the Upper Room with the scene of Jesus gathered with his
disciples to celebrate the Last Supper; it continues with the scene of Jesus at
prayer with his disciples in the Garden, the arrest, trial and crucifixion of
Jesus on the cross; and it concludes with the unbelievable truth that is
revealed when the women discover the empty tomb.
Saint Luke tells us that at the first light of day on
that first Easter morning, the women who
had accompanied Jesus from Galilee came to the tomb, taking the spices they had
prepared (Lk 24:1). Mary Magdalene,
Johanna, Mary the mother of James and other women had followed Joseph of
Aramathea when he brought Jesus’ body and laid it in the tomb, so they knew
exactly where it was located, and now they were bringing the spices they had
prepared in order to embalm his body, to complete the burial ritual that had
been hastily done in the dying light of Good Friday.
What they found perplexed them: the stone had been rolled away from the tomb (Lk 24:2) and inside, they did not find the body (Lk
24:3). These women had heard Jesus
speaking about this very moment, but like all of us, they probably did not
believe him, until now. The miracle of
Easter was being witnessed right before their eyes, and yet they needed the
testimony of two men in dazzling clothes
who stood beside them (Lk 24:4).
These men reminded them of Jesus words: Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son
of Man must be handed over to sinners, and be crucified, and on the third day
rise again? (Lk 24:6-7). He is not here; he is risen! That moment must have seemed like a dream to
them, and yet as though awaking from their slumber, they remembered Jesus’ words (Lk 24:8) and ran to tell the other
disciples the good news.
The narrative of that first Easter morning always reminds
me that women were the first to experience the Resurrection. They were the first humans to tell the story
to others. Because of their witness, the
disciples, who were first reluctant to believe what they were hearing (cf Lk
24:11), also came to the tomb to see for themselves (cf Lk 24:12; Jn 20:3-8). Other accounts of encounters with the Risen
Lord on the road to Emmaus (Lk 24:13-35) and at other moments (Lk 24:36-53)
would follow, each of them, proof of the fact that what Jesus had said and
taught was true. Eventually, the telling
and retelling of these resurrection accounts would lead to the formation of the
community that has become the Church … but it all started at the tomb, the open
tomb.
Many centuries later, we still gather; we still tell and
re-tell the story; we remember our roots.
Our human intellect still struggles to understand how it is that we can
be baptized into Jesus’ death (cf Rom 6:3) but this is a matter of faith: the
faith that Jesus began to sow in the hearts of his first disciples, the faith
that has been handed on to us. It is
because of God’s infinite mercy, made present to us in the person of Jesus
Christ, who showed us the face of God, who loved with infinite love and who
paved the way for us to infinite life … it is because of this infinite gift
that we are gathered here tonight/today.
It is because of this infinite gift that we rejoice, with Mary
Magdalene, Johanna, Mary the mother of James and with all who have come to
believe, and is because of our belief that we can sing the song of joy:
Alleluia, he is risen!
Happy Easter!
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