1 April 2018 – homily for Easter Sunday – John 20:1-9

     While Christmas seems to be the Christian holy day that gets most of our attention in our modern secular world, it is Easter that is at the heart of what we believe as Catholics.  The Triduum of liturgies, of Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Vigil, are called the high point of our Church’s liturgical year.  Holy week and our celebration of Easter morning mass connects the cross of Jesus to his resurrection, a connection that help us truly understand what our faith is all about.

         The symbolism of our Easter Vigil Mass last night is striking with the contrast between light and darkness.  The Easter fire starts out in front of the church after sunset, symbolizing the light of Christ that is brought into our world in a special way through his death and resurrection.  Our candles are lit by the paschal candle, the light of Christ, symbolizing the source of the true light in the world.

         Mary Magdalene was enveloped in the darkness of the night when she came to the tomb that morning.  We can imagine the spiritual darkness that consumed her that morning, overshadowing the darkness of the night.  Full of remorse, pain, and frustration, she believed that our Lord’s body had been stolen from the tomb when she found it empty.  Jesus had been put to death; now his body could not even be anointed.  This was a sign for Mary Magdalene, for Peter and the beloved disciple, a sign that something unique and special was going on, something that was difficult to understand.  They had no idea what all of this was about, of the implications that the resurrection would have on their lives and their faith.

         There is a lot for us to figure out as well, isn’t there?  Many of us have taken our faith for granted. We take for granted the religious freedom we have had in our country to practice our Christian faith.  Perhaps what we see going on in the world and in our country could be a wake up call for us, an impetus for us to practice our faith with more zeal and focus.  Although we will have fifty days of celebration in the Easter season in which recognize the risen Christ in a special way, we as Catholics will still have our crosses to bear in our call to stand up for the values of our faith and for the freedom to practice our faith in the world.  Indeed, in order for us to truly understand the light of the resurrection of Christ, we in turn must be lights shining in the darkness of our world.  For these next weeks during the Easter season, we will ponder what the resurrection of Jesus really means to us - what it really means to live out the resurrection of Christ in our lives.