Easter Sunday Year B | Homily for 31st March 2024

 

My dear friends, Lent is finally over and it's time to let loose and celebrate Easter, right? But what exactly are we celebrating and why are we celebrating it? The resurrection of Jesus is not only central to our faith but it is the cause for the existence of our faith - no resurrection, no Christianity. It is therefore important to dwell a little on why the resurrection is the greatest miracle recorded in history and not only a made-up story by the disciples. When we consider the gospel of John especially we can derive three evidences for Jesus’ bodily resurrection from the dead.

The first evidence of Jesus’ resurrection is that the tomb was empty. Had the disciples stolen Jesus’ body or bribed the guards to take it away, they wouldn’t have endured the persecution and eventual martyrdom to proclaim what they knew to be fake news. The second evidence of Jesus’ resurrection is the grave clothes. Jewish burials involved wrapping the corpse with linen strips. The dead body was anointed with spices to control the smell of decomposition. Peter and John saw the linen wrappings with the face cloth rolled up by itself in an orderly manner, but Jesus’ body was gone. Had it been grave robbers they would not have been so meticulous in arranging the grave clothes. Let’s compare the scene at the resurrection with that of the raising of Lazarus. When Jesus raised Lazarus, he had to be unbound by others (Jn 11:44), this is certainly not the case with Jesus’ resurrection. The third evidence of Jesus’ resurrection is His post-resurrection appearances. John’s gospel cites Jesus appearing to Mary Magdalene (20:11-18), the disciples and Thomas and, to seven of the disciples, by the Sea of Galilee (21:1-25). All these you could argue were disciples, so their testimony could be doubted. But what about the testimony of one who was not only not a disciple but rather a persecutor of Christians? The only way to explain St. Paul’s dramatic conversion is that he saw the risen Lord Jesus.

Having looked at the evidence for the resurrection of Jesus, let us now look at what is the significance of the resurrection in our lives. The first point to consider is that the crucifixion is followed by the resurrection. As a priest, some of the most edifying moments for me have been when after narrating all their difficulties and sorrows the person says “But you know Father, Jesus will take care of it all”. Imagine Jesus today coming to you and asking the same question that he asked Mary Magdalene “Why are you weeping?” What would your answer be? Some of us might say “Jesus I weep because I have lost a loved one, Jesus I weep because I have financial troubles, Jesus I weep because I have no job” No doubt each one of us has a cross to bear, however, we need to remember that no matter what the situation in our life is there is light at the end of the tunnel. Even the lotus needs the muck to bloom. Losses, illness, sorrow and death may be the muck we see around us, but just like the disciples who felt that all was over when Jesus died when we are down in the dumps and want to give up hope, that’s when Easter happens. Easter reminds us that life is worth living. Indeed, Jesus will take care of it all.

The second point to consider is that resurrection means that Jesus is living today. He is in our midst as much as he was 2000 years ago. How do we experience this risen Jesus? Each time to reach out to someone in need, we share in the resurrection. Each time we forgive someone who has hurt us, we share in the Resurrection. Each time we persevere in our efforts to overcome our sins, we share in the Resurrection.  Each time we continue to hope, even in the face of hopelessness, we share in the power of Jesus’ Resurrection. The empty tomb is the message that nothing is final in this life, not even death. God's love is stronger than any human power, violence or cruelty. The risen Lord works in and through each one of us today. We are therefore called today to give the sick new hope, we are called to give comfort to the grieving, and we are called to give peace to the troubled in spirit.  

As we celebrate Easter and prepare to break our fast and have a wonderful meal with our family and friends we need to ask ourselves During this season of Lent: What have I left in “my grave”? Did I resurrect with Christ this Easter? Does my life reflect the resurrected Jesus If we must rise like Christ, we must be ready to detach ourselves from all those things that we are attached to. Quite often in our lives, we go in search of things which we desire, things we feel will make us happy. Very early that Easter morning, Mary Magdalene went in search of the dead body of Jesus. But she found something better than she could have imagined: the Risen Jesus. Sometimes, we do not receive the things we desire the most instead what we get is an experience of God’s new ways of working in the world. Are we ready to be an Easter people?  We are not supposed to lie buried in the tomb of our sins, evil habits, and dangerous addictions. Instead, we are to live a joyful and peaceful life, constantly experiencing the real presence of the Risen Lord in all the events of our lives.  I pray that this Easter we may truly experience the inner joy of the Risen Lord. May God bless us all.