Endless love leads to endless life

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!