EASTER SUNDAY
12APRIL 2020
Saint
John tells us that it is dark when Mary Magdalene arrives at the tomb. That darkness is much more than the absence
of light at night. Mary is engulfed by
the darkness of grief and sadness and confusion at the death of the one who had
shown her so much love. The darkness of
her grief continues after she has seen that the stone had been removed from the
tomb. She carries the darkness with her
as she runs to Peter and the beloved disciple to report that someone had stolen
the body of Jesus.
After their footrace to the tomb,
Peter enters the tomb to see that the burial cloths are carefully set aside,
including the cloth that had covered the head of the dead Jesus. But Peter does not understand, because he is
still in the darkness and regret of his denial and abandonment on Thursday
night. However, the beloved disciple had
been a faithful witness at the death of Jesus on Good Friday with the Mother of
God. He connects the burial cloths with
Lazarus. He remembers that Lazarus had
emerged from his tomb still bound with the burial cloths. Even though he does not yet understand, he
begins to believe. Jesus is no longer
bound by burial cloths, because he has not been resuscitated like Lazarus, but
freed permanently from death. Peter and
the beloved disciple will return to the upper room, where they are hiding in
the darkness and isolation with the rest of the disciples, afraid of the
authorities.
When we think of Easter, we think
of gathering together in our Easter finest at this church. We gather with families and friends to share
the feasting after forty long days of fasting.
We think of joy and hope and Easter eggs hunts with the kids in the back
yard. However, this year, we are much
closer to that first Easter Sunday than ever before. Like those first disciples, we share in a
common darkness. We are hunkered down in
isolation, fearing that contact with other people will infect us and make us
sick. We cannot host the feasting meals
that are so much a part of our traditions.
We cannot even be fed by the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, the real
presence that brings to each of us the reality of the risen Christ.
Later in the day on that first
Easter, the risen Christ will break through the doors of their locked
room. They will not recognize him,
because he has been transformed through the power of the resurrection. But, he will give them peace and mercy for
the ways they had abandoned him. He will
breathe on them and give them the Holy Spirit.
Through the power of that Holy Spirit, they will emerge from the
darkness of their confinement and proclaim to the entire world the good news of
Jesus Christ, the crucified Messiah who has been raised from the dead.
That same risen Christ breaks
through the darkness inflicted on us today.
He breathes on us the light of his love and peace. He will send us out of our confinement when
the travel restrictions are lifted, to be fed by his Body and Blood. Nourished by that surest reality of his risen
presence, we too can proclaim to anyone who will listen what those first
disciples proclaimed. Sin and suffering
and death are not the end! Christ has
been transformed by the resurrection from the dead, and death has no more power
over him.
As we renew our faith after this
homily, we can remember what Saint Thomas Aquinas said about those who believe in
the Lord’s resurrection. Faith in the
resurrection helps us to cope better with the deaths of those we loved. We can face the reality of our own deaths
with much less fear. Belief in the
resurrection gives us a greater incentive to perform diligent acts, because diligent
acts endure beyond death. It can also
draw us away from evil. Christ has been
raised from the dead! He has conquered
the power of sin and death. Happy
Easter!
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