Last night, with our Easter fire burning brightly in the midst of the darkness of the night, in the midst in the darkness of the tomb in which Jesus was buried after his death on the cross, we started our celebration of Christ’s resurrection. The Easter Vigil mass and our masses on Easter Sunday rejoice in the risen Christ. Today is not about the memories or ideals or profound thoughts that are indeed contained in the Gospel message this morning. Rather, our celebration on this Easter morning is about Jesus, alive and present to us and loving us from his heart. In our Easter faith, we really do encounter Jesus, not just a message from him, not just a doctrine inspired by him, not just the ethics of justice and love that he proclaimed. It is Jesus himself in whom we rejoice this morning.
The Easter fire that started out the liturgy last night during the Easter Vigil not only represents the light of Christ that is shining so brightly in our world, but it also represents the mystery of creation, in which God created the universe and created us human beings. We celebrated last night in our first reading the mystery of God liberating the people of Israel from slavery - both from their bondage in Egypt and from their sins. God liberated the Jewish people in order for them to be able to live with him in holiness and unity. God liberates all of us who have been baptized in Christ. In the life-giving Easter waters that we blessed last night as part of our Easter Vigil mass, water that will be used to give us a special blessing this today and that will be used in our baptisms throughout the Easter season, Jesus leads us out of sin and into our new life with him.
Today, as we gather as a community of believers that places its faith and hope in the risen Lord, we see the gathering of the community of the first disciples at the empty tomb. This small community had their dreams shaken when they saw their Lord crucified. Their hearts were filled with sorrow and confusion. Why was the tomb empty? What has happened to our Lord? They could not make sense of the situation. Our 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, a new purpose. This 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 those first followers of Christ arrived at that empty tomb, we, in a sense, arrive at that tomb this morning as well. We are called to be called to that same passion and focus and sense of purpose that engaged Mary of Magdala, 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 and agree with the Gospel of Christ. We are to live the radical message of the Gospel in our lives. And 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 find on Easter morning, in the light of resurrected Lord, we are called to remember, we are called to proclaim, we are called to live out the Gospel message that he left behind. However, we do not sing “Alleluia” today on Easter morning only because this the day that Jesus has risen from the dead. We are to sing alleluia also because we ourselves live in the light of his resurrection.
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