Indeed, the universal Church affirms the greatest truth of our faith that our Lord Jesus Christ is risen. Alleluia! Let us rejoice and be glad! It is a great day of celebration as we proclaim the resurrection of our Lord from the dead!
From the vigil Mass on Holy Saturday, our joy shines forth when the very first Mass of Easter begins with the joyful singing of the Gloria and the triumphant ringing of bells.
The evangelist John brings us the Good News on Easter Sunday. The gist of the 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 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 nearly rolled up in a separate place. They believed that the Lord is risen, even when they did not yet fully understand what is written in the Scriptures that Jesus had to rise from the dead.
The Resurrection of Jesus 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 going to be meaningless.
The Resurrection is the greatest of the miracles as it proves that Jesus is God. That is why in our Catholic faith, Easter Sunday is the principal feast of the ecclesiastical year. It is called the greatest feast (festum festorum). Our Lord's Resurrection is a concrete and historical event which is the strength and foundation of Christianity. It is a day of celebration, as it represents the fulfillment of our faith as Christians.
From the time of the first Apostles to our generations, we, too, believe that our Lord Jesus Christ is indeed risen. To this day, in every Eucharistic celebration at Mass we share in Jesus' Paschal Mystery, meaning to say, in our Lord's Passion, Death and Resurrection. Because we encounter the risen Christ again in the Holy Eucharist. Thus, Easter invites us to be witnesses to the whole world that our Lord Jesus Christ is truly risen from the dead.
What is the significance of the Easter event to all of us today? For us who believe, the great gifts of Easter are hope and faith. Hope because it makes us have confidence in God, in His ultimate triumph, and in His goodness and love, which nothing can shake. And faith because we believe that Christ has triumphed over evil and that the Resurrection is the definitive act in human history.
So on Easter Sunday we celebrate the mystery of the Resurrection, proclaim our faith and hope, and give thanks to God for these gifts.
But does everything end with the resurrection story? Well. it does not. Because we do not close the story of Jesus' Resurrection. We continue to re-live this event whenever we do the acts of Jesus, meaning, our Lord's acts of kindness, humility, self-sacrifice, and selfless service to others, especially the poor and helpless. Because by these very Christian acts we continuously perpetuate the Resurrection of the our Lord Jesus Christ in our lives today.
So that whenever we do good to others we also impart Jesus and we tell them that Jesus is truly alive today, that our Lord Jesus is ready to help them and lift them from their sickness, loneliness and weariness, and restore back our dignity as God's children.
Let us pray that the power of the Lord's Resurrection transform us into liberated and joyful people through our authentic Christian living, repentant yet full of hope, faith and happiness. Let us rejoice and be glad. For the Lord Jesus is risen, Alleluia!
Happy Easter to us all. And thank you for a moment with God.
Ad Jesum per Mariam!
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