He is risen!

Homily for the Easter Vigil

(and with modifications, for Easter Day)

Why do you look for the living among the dead?

My dearest friends, standing with me here in this holy light, together we have journeyed through the first two parts of the Easter Triduum, and now we are in the midst of celebrating the great joy of good news: the news that He who washed the feet of his disciples, He who broke bread and commanded us to do the same, He who suffered and died on the cross is risen!  This news was proclaimed to the women who went to the tomb early on that first Easter morning.  Their initial response was disbelief; if someone had stolen the body and hidden it, then all the talk about resurrection would have been in vain, and any hopes they may have carried in their hearts would have been crushed, yet the words they heard, the truth they discovered must have filled their hearts with excitement and joy, for they went immediately to the place where the disciples were, and announced the good news to them.  At some level, the women must have believed what they had heard and seen at the empty tomb - that he was risen - otherwise they would never have dared to speak.

At some level, we too must believe this good news.  Otherwise, I for one am living a life in vain, but all around us, there are signs of God’s love made known to us in the suffering, death and resurrection of Christ.  This gospel that we preach is a truth that has been unfolding since the beginning of created time.  It includes the moment when the faith of Abraham (who we refer to as our Father in faith) was tested, even to the point of being asked to sacrifice his own son.  The good news of God’s love for us was again made known when Moses led the Israelite people through the waters of the Red Sea, out of slavery and into the Promised Land. 

The God who created the universe, who tested Abraham, and who led his people out of slavery has given us the gift of water with which we satisfy our deepest thirst.  The water of life which we receive from God slakes our physical thirst, but also our spiritual thirst for his love, for his compassion, for his mercy.

Dear friends, we are here together in this church tonight, not because of anything we ourselves have accomplished; on the contrary, despite our best intentions and efforts, Jesus has already died once for all.  He has already risen, and in the light of his resurrection, we have the promise of everlasting life.  This is the reason we are here tonight (today).  This is the reason for our faith.  This is the reason why we must love with all our hearts: because before we could even fathom the meaning of love, God has loved us eternally.

Our journey of faith leads us to discover the true depth of this divine love.  This journey begins on the day of our baptism.  On that day, we are united with Jesus in a death like his, and the graces given through baptism continue to unfold throughout our entire lives.  Each of the Sacraments that we celebrate is another manifestation of this love so freely given for each of us.  Tonight, catechumens from all corners of the earth, who have had the awareness of faith awakened within them will approach the font of grace and be baptised with life-giving water.  Through the boundless love of our God, the gifts of the Holy Spirit will be poured out upon them, and they will be sealed with the gifts of this same Spirit as we mark their foreheads with the Chrism of salvation.  Like all those who approach the altar during this celebration, they will receive the bread of life and drink from the cup of salvation.

We human beings need these tangible, visible signs to remind us of the great gift of God’s love.  They help us to strengthen our faith, to run like Peter did to the tomb when we have our doubts, to listen in faith to the words that were announced to the women in the early hours of that first Easter morning: He is risen!  He is not here!  Even those of us who have heard these words whispered in our ears time and time again still return to the empty tomb, searching for evidence, but the only evidence we will find is the linen cloths, lifeless reminders of the love Jesus demonstrated to us when he washed the disciples feet, and the same startling words that were spoken to the women, the words that made it possible for them to come to believe.

Why do you look for the living among the dead?  He is not here.  He is risen.  Alleluia!