Here are the words I shared with the people of faith who gathered to live the Easter Vigil, and with those who came to celebrate the Masses of Thanksgiving on Easter Day.
Sometimes our eyes play tricks on us. Magicians count on this fact as they practice their slights of hand, but the story we commemorate here in these days is no magic trick.
Early on that first Easter morning, Mary Magdalene (Matthew adds the other Mary as a companion) went to the tomb. With heavy hearts, she was still struggling to accept the fact that Jesus was dead. Her body numbed by the events of the past days, within her heart, she was no doubt pondering the same questions we would ask: Can it be true? Is he really dead? Imagine her surprise when she arrived at the tomb! She expected to find it silent, sealed, but instead she found it open. Just for a moment, was she gripped by fear? Did she perhaps think that someone had stolen Jesus’ body? This is the moment when her faith was most tested, and this was the moment when the angel appeared.
The same is true for us: Like Magdalene, we have listened to Jesus’ words, we have witnessed his presence in prayer, and in the sacraments. He has fed us at his table. He has told us about heaven and about the Resurrection, but no matter how often we hear these things, our eyes still play tricks, and we find ourselves wondering: Can it be true? When we are faced with tragedies, our faith too is tested, and God sends an angel to us as well, to protect us, to walk with us, to soothe our weary and aching souls, and sometimes even to surprise us.
Do not be afraid, the angel told her, he has been raised … Jesus appears to us, just as he appeared to Magdalene on that morning. He encourages us too: do not be afraid to tell others about what you have seen and heard, what you have come to believe. Jesus Christ has been raised from the dead, just as he had promised, and we are the disciples who he encourages today to spread this good news: to those who are imprisoned by poverty or by lack of self-confidence, to those who are trapped beneath the weight of burdens far to heavy to bear, to those who cannot see the light at the end of the tunnel, to those who have forgotten what it feels like to be content, happy, even loved.
To those who have forgotten what joy feels like, we must not be afraid to proclaim the truth of Easter morning: He has been raised! Go into our world today. Go into our streets and proclaim this joyful news. Show others the joy that is in our hearts, the joy that comes from knowing that Jesus Christ has overcome death, that he is risen to new life, and therefore we too can live in the expectation of everlasting life in heaven.
Happy Easter!
Believe it or not
Sometimes our eyes play tricks on us. Magicians count on this fact as they practice their slights of hand, but the story we commemorate here in these days is no magic trick.
Early on that first Easter morning, Mary Magdalene (Matthew adds the other Mary as a companion) went to the tomb. With heavy hearts, she was still struggling to accept the fact that Jesus was dead. Her body numbed by the events of the past days, within her heart, she was no doubt pondering the same questions we would ask: Can it be true? Is he really dead? Imagine her surprise when she arrived at the tomb! She expected to find it silent, sealed, but instead she found it open. Just for a moment, was she gripped by fear? Did she perhaps think that someone had stolen Jesus’ body? This is the moment when her faith was most tested, and this was the moment when the angel appeared.
The same is true for us: Like Magdalene, we have listened to Jesus’ words, we have witnessed his presence in prayer, and in the sacraments. He has fed us at his table. He has told us about heaven and about the Resurrection, but no matter how often we hear these things, our eyes still play tricks, and we find ourselves wondering: Can it be true? When we are faced with tragedies, our faith too is tested, and God sends an angel to us as well, to protect us, to walk with us, to soothe our weary and aching souls, and sometimes even to surprise us.
Do not be afraid, the angel told her, he has been raised … Jesus appears to us, just as he appeared to Magdalene on that morning. He encourages us too: do not be afraid to tell others about what you have seen and heard, what you have come to believe. Jesus Christ has been raised from the dead, just as he had promised, and we are the disciples who he encourages today to spread this good news: to those who are imprisoned by poverty or by lack of self-confidence, to those who are trapped beneath the weight of burdens far to heavy to bear, to those who cannot see the light at the end of the tunnel, to those who have forgotten what it feels like to be content, happy, even loved.
To those who have forgotten what joy feels like, we must not be afraid to proclaim the truth of Easter morning: He has been raised! Go into our world today. Go into our streets and proclaim this joyful news. Show others the joy that is in our hearts, the joy that comes from knowing that Jesus Christ has overcome death, that he is risen to new life, and therefore we too can live in the expectation of everlasting life in heaven.
Happy Easter!
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