Easter 2023 9 April Homily

 

Imagine you invest all your money in the stock market and the markets collapse. What would you go through? Certainly immense fear, panic, hopelessness and anxiety. The first disciples of Jesus experienced something similar. They had invested everything in the hope that Jesus was the Messiah and that he would come to power soon. However, he was crucified in front of their own eyes and laid in a tomb and to add to that their own lives were now at risk.

On social media, I come across many reels in which some deny the crucifixion and some doubt the resurrection. The important point here is what made a group of fearful followers of Jesus, suddenly begin preaching to the public even to the point of accepting martyrdom? The entire Christian faith rests on one historically verifiable point: the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. St. Paul says (1 Cor. 15:17), “If Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins.” If you can disprove this one truth, the Christian faith collapses. If the resurrection were a lie, a made-up story – would people endure the persecution and eventual martyrdom to proclaim what they knew to be a hoax? The resurrection touched the lives of people, it was a real event. For our reflection today I have taken the readings of Easter Sunday.

The first reading taken from the Acts of the Apostles highlights a paradigm shift in the early church’s understanding of its mission. The reading follows Peter meeting Cornelius after a vision where God instructs Peter that “What God has made clean, you must not call profane. (Acts 10:15). God has accepted Gentiles alongside Jewish believers. It is important to bear in mind that in the Jewish society at the time of Jesus, the Jews and the gentiles were very much separated by social boundaries and ethnic differences. Peter speaks to the gathered household of Cornelius. He declares that “I truly understand that God shows no partiality”. Social boundaries and ethnic differences are no obstacle to the gospel. The standard for righteousness in the past has been adherence to Jewish law. However, Peter says that he now understands that fearing God which refers to having reverence for God and doing what is right are now the criteria by which God will judge.

An important message of this passage is that Jesus Christ is Lord of all. (Acts 10:36) Jesus’ lordship extends over all earthly and supernatural forces. We also need to consider the importance of the Holy Spirit in the resurrection of Jesus. Immediately after this story, the Holy Spirit will fall upon Gentiles, confirming God’s intention of including them among his holy people (10:44-48).

In the second reading taken from St. Paul’s letter to the Colossians, St. Paul highlights a way of life that is in keeping with being followers of the resurrected Christ. He exhorts the believers to set their focus straight: seek the things that are above….set your minds on things that are above…..(Col 3:1-2). The reference to ‘above’ refers to things that are divine, good, peaceful, and holy instead of temporal goods and glory. Christ is also said to be seated at the right hand of God.  The right hand is the hand of power and judgment; the reference to being seated at the right hand has its origin in Ps 110. ‘The LORD says to my lord, “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool.”’ – Ps 110:1.

Another important aspect of the resurrection is that it is not restricted only to Jesus. It is also connected with the disciples. Through baptism, we have died to the world and were raised with Jesus to a new life. We need to reorient our lives on the things that are above instead of being obsessed with things that are on earth. This is not a one-time activity but rather a continuous process. It is a conscious decision that we have to make each day. It is similar to recharging your phone every time its battery runs out. Every time we sin, we go off the track, we are to make an effort to come back on track.  Paul in conclusion assures us that when Christ who is our life appears, we also will appear with Him in glory.

Instead of the apostles, the gospel of John presents to us Mary Magdalene being the one to discover the empty tomb. She then runs and tells Peter and the other disciple who is generally identified as John about the empty tomb. The presence of these two disciples at the tomb is important, because according to the customs of those times as a woman, Mary had no legal standing as a witness. Two legal witnesses were required. Later, Mary is sent to deliver the message of the ascension to the apostles making her the Apostle of the Apostles.

However, when Mary and the two disciples first see the empty tomb they are taken aback, they are confused, scared even. Mary comes to faith only when Jesus calls her by name. Out of the two apostles, only John is reported to have come to faith. There is no mention of any celebration or hi-fives between them pointing to the fact that they did not quite understand what was happening at that moment.

What really makes a difference in the lives of Mary Magdalene and the apostles is the gift to see reality with the eyes of faith. Without this, they are too fixated on rational and logical conclusions. When Mary finds that the stone has been removed she jumps to some logical conclusions. She feels someone has entered and stolen the body. Perhaps it was the Jewish authorities themselves or some grave robbers. She does not even consider that Jesus might have risen from the dead. As long as our minds are focused on earthly things there is a big chance that we will miss the resurrected Christ. 

What is the significance of the empty tomb? The empty tomb is a symbol of the resurrection. It symbolizes victory over death. And because Jesus has risen, we can look forward to our own resurrection as well. The empty tomb is also a constant reminder that Jesus is alive and He is working among us. We have to keep in mind that there is no resurrection without the cross and therefore in our lives, we will always be faced with difficulties and challenges. However, we do not have to face all these alone. During our times of sadness, loneliness and hopelessness we are invited to go to the tomb of Jesus and discover hope because the tomb is empty, Jesus is alive and is there with us in our sorrow.

St. Augustine of Hippo is often credited with saying, “We are an Easter people, and alleluia is our song!” Let us strive to live our lives setting our minds on things above and transmit the resurrection message of hope to all we meet. I pray that through the intercession of Mary Magdalene, we may discover the risen Lord in our life. May God bless us all.