Easter Homily

Christ is risen. He is risen indeed, alleluia!

In the Gospel of Saint John; Mary of Magdala, Peter, and John come to put together the puzzle that surrounds the Lord’s Resurrection. That day they expected to find a tomb that contained a dead body, but instead the stone was rolled away. The garments that were used to bury the Lord were found rolled up and laying upon the ground and the body was gone. This tomb was empty and from it sprung forth a great hope.

It is in the Gospel of Saint Matthew that Mary of Magdalene and the other Mary come to the tomb. Here they encounter an angel who sat upon the rolled away stone who told them that He had been raised. From here they encounter the Lord and thus they approached Him, embraced His feet, and did Him homage. They were commanded by Him to be not afraid and to spread the news of His Resurrection.

Our world is in need of this news of the Lord’s Resurrection. So often we allow all that goes on around us to thrust us down into despair. We must remember that the stone has been rolled away and with it springs forth a great hope. This hope is the fact that we have been redemeed. That sin and death hold no power over God. That the emptyness of the tomb is a proclamation of what is to come for each of us.

The message of the Lord’s Resurrection does not remain closed up inside of a tomb, but is taken outward from it. This message does not end with a few select individuals, but continues to spread throughout the whole world. We too must be concerned with taking this message out into the world in order that others may come to believe in this great hope. This hope brings light into a world that has been thrust into darkness.

As those in the Gospel slowly came to put together the puzzle pieces their despair was turned into hope. They came to believe and understand the importance of the Lord’s Resurrection. Let us not only believe in word, but in mind. We too must come to understand the importance of what we celebrate. If we understand this importance we would be here each and every Sunday for we would realize that Christ lives and through our celebration of the Mass we join with Him who has redeemed us upon the cross and risen on the third day.

The world will continue to be touched by sin. Those around us, including ourself, will continue to face the reality of death. There will always be something for us to fear. Nevertheless, there is still a great hope that shines brightly. That is the hope of Christ who continues to be present with us Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity in the Most Blessed Sacrament of the Altar. Let us continue to rejoice with Him as we continue to proclaim with the confidence of faith that Christ is risen!