Cycle C - Year I:

31 March 2013 - Easter Sunday

(Liturgical color: White)

John 20:1-9

Jesus our Lord' is risen!
 
Today we rejoice with the Psalmist with shouts of joy: "This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad." (Ps 118) For indeed Jesus our Lord is risen! Alleluia! Alleluia!

John, the beloved disciple, brings us the Good News this Sunday. The gist of his gospel narratives: When Mary of Magdala came to visit the tomb of Jesus early morning on the third day, she saw the stone cover already removed from the entrance of the tomb, and the the tomb empty. Hurriedly she went back to the other disciples and reported what she saw. Simon Peter and John went with Mary again to the empty tomb. They saw the burial clothes there, and the cloth that covered Jesus' head neatly rolled up in a separate place. They saw and believed that the Lord is risen, even when they did not yet understand what is written in the Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.

Thus by the account and personal testimonies of his closest disciples, Jesus is risen and wins over sin and death for all of us. The resurrection of our Lord is the very cornerstone of our Christian faith. Because if Jesus did not rise to redeem us from sin, then everything we did during the Holy Week, and everything we do now, is meaningless.

In the Catholic Church, Easter is the principal feast of the ecclesiastical year. That is why it is called the greatest feast (festum festorum). Christ's resurrection is a concrete and historical event which is the strength and foundation of Christianity. It is a day of celebration because it represents the fulfillment of our faith as Christians.

Like Mary of Magdala, Peter and John, we too believe that the Lord is risen! Alleluia! In every Eucharistic celebration of the Mass we share in Jesus' Paschal Mystery, that is to say, in his passion, death and resurrection. We encounter the risen Christ again in the Holy Eucharist.

Easter invites us to be witnesses to the world that Christ is truly risen from the dead. And so we ask: how do we do that? Well, through our authentic Christian living. That is to say, we must live like liberated and joyful people in whatever situation of our earthly life, repentant yet full of hope and happiness. Because united with our risen Lord, we too become children again of our loving Father in heaven.

Happy Easter to all. And thank you for a moment with God.

Deo Optimo Maximo!