Last night, our Easter fire burned brightly in the midst of the darkness of the night and in the midst in the darkness of Jesus’ tomb where he was placed after his death on the cross. Our Easter Vigil Mass started our celebration of Christ’s resurrection this weekend as we rejoice in the risen Christ. Today is not about the memories or ideals or profound thoughts from our Gospel Message. Our celebration on this Easter morning is about Jesus, as he is alive and present to us and loving us from his heart. In our Easter faith, we encounter Jesus in a very real way. It is Jesus himself in whom we rejoice this morning.
The Easter fire that started our Mass last night not only represents the light of Christ that shines so brightly in the world; it also represents the mystery of creation in which God created the universe. Our first reading last night from Exodus spoke about God liberating the people of Israel from slavery: liberation from their bondage in Egypt and liberation from their sins. God freed his people in order for them to live with him in holiness and unity. God liberates all of us who have been baptized in Christ. We blessed the water last night in the Easter Vigil mass; that water will be used today to give us a special blessing and it will be used in our baptisms throughout the Easter season.
Today, we gather as believers who place our faith and hope in the risen Lord. Today’s Gospel speaks of the gathering of the first disciples that discovered the empty tomb. This small community of disciples had their dreams and hopes shaken when they saw their Lord crucified. Their hearts were filled with sorrow and confusion. They could not make sense of the empty tomb. The Gospel ends today by saying that “they did not yet understand the Scripture that he had to rise from the dead.” Yet, once they start understanding the reality of the risen Lord, their lives will change in ways they could never have imagined, with a new focus, new passion, and new purpose.
This Easter morning, the cross gives way to the empty tomb. Shattering loss gives way to new life and new hope. Though we live many centuries after the first followers of Christ arrived at that empty tomb, we, in a sense, arrive at that empty tomb this morning as well. We are called to that same focus and sense of purpose that engaged Mary Magdalene, Simon Peter, John, and that group of disciples that formed the Early Church. The light shining from Christ’s tomb calls out to us this morning. We are to do more than believe Christ’s Gospel. We are to live it radical message: not just on Easter morning, but every morning.
In Luke’s account of the last supper that Jesus had with his disciples, which we celebrated on Holy Thursday this past week, Jesus gave us his body and blood, telling us to do this in remembrance of him. In the shadow of the empty tomb that the disciples found on Easter morning, in the light of resurrected Lord, we are called to remember, we are called to proclaim, and we are called to live out the Gospel message that he left us. However, we do not sing “Alleluia” today on Easter morning only because this is the day that Jesus has risen from the dead. We also sing alleluia also because we ourselves live in the light of his resurrection.
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