"Christ indeed from death is risen"
(From the Easter proclamation)
John 20: 1-9
As Holy Week began last Sunday in preparation for this annual
celebration of new life, hope and resurrection in Christ, we were greeted with
a great sadness which came to us from the famed city of Paris, France. The iconic Cathedral of Notre Dame was on
fire and was feared would be lost. Along
with it would go nearly 900 years of history both civic and religious and along
with that it was feared even might so wound the Catholic faith of many tied to
that Cathedral and its significance.
What took place outside that Church I think provides for us some good
Easter reflection.
As their Cathedral burned, at first seeming out of control,
what did people do? First, we love “train
wrecks” and to witness such monumental disasters first hand holds a strange and
particular attraction. Yet, rather than
just gawk at the brave firefighters doing all they could to hold back the fire,
which thankfully, they finally extinguished, the people outside prayed the
Rosary, sang Catholic hymns and very obviously without embarrassment proclaimed
their Catholic faith for all to see. In
the face of what seemed hopeless they found strength in their faith which gave
them hope that in the end all would be well.
We know the result.
But this was more than just a building on fire that thankfully
will survive and rise again. One of the
most unforgettable images taken after the fire was put out was the one where
the large gold cross above the back altar was shining brightly in the midst of
still smoldering ruins on the floor of the Church. Almost to prove that not even such a
destructive force will bring down the faith.
We can see in this example a sign to us that in the midst of
disaster and hopelessness, we still in the end know that God is greater than
our fears. For the disciples on that
night after Jesus died we can only imagine how they felt. Like the Parisians whose faces were stunned
and fearful the apostles must have had the same sense of fear and
confusion. They had no idea what God was
up to until Jesus appeared to them risen and alive again. Their grief was replaced by great and near stunning
joy.
The risen Christ was more than just alive again. We believe his physical body did not just
come back to life like Lazarus. But,
Jesus spirit and body were reunited in a new form that is both material and
spiritual at the same time. He assumes
some mysterious, touchable, visible form which combines spirit and matter, no
longer subject to the natural laws of death and decay. It is a great mystery
indeed but there is no doubt that the resurrection is the very foundation of
our Christian faith – it is the rock we stand on; the meaning and purpose in
our life of faith.
This is resurrection – a form yet to be seen and experienced in
eternity. Scholars agree that Jesus’ resurrection is not at all a miraculous
return from the dead or something like a near death experience. If that is what
the resurrection was, then Jesus would have died again. When Jesus appeared to
his Apostles, he told no story of a tunnel of light, or hovering over his body,
or seeing long lost dead relatives waiting for him.
Yet we will hear this Easter season of the reaction of the
Apostles, of Mary Magdalene, of Thomas who doubted, of talking angels who
questioned visitors at the empty tomb that early morning, “Why do you seek the living one among the dead?” (Lk 24: 1-10). We
will hear of disciples whose lives were instantly transformed from fear to
overwhelming joy, wonder, and bold courage. So convicted were they that Jesus
was alive and eternally present again that no force or threat on earth could
change their minds. So, Easter indeed challenges us to imagine a God with no
boundaries – this God with no limits; a God for whom nothing is impossible (Lk
1: 37).
This is not a celebration of science and logic but this grand
feast of Easter is the beginning point of deep faith - of time and space beyond
time and space. It is about our belief and identity as God’s people. Easter
reminds us that God’s invitation is extended beyond boundaries, beyond race and
nationality, beyond politics or geography – God’s invitation in Christ Jesus is
open to anyone who “testifies” that Jesus is Lord and universal Savior of
humanity. That he is the anointed one – come to bring freedom from sin and
death to all humankind.
The rising of Christ from the dead gives hope to those who have
died. And if the dead have hope then the living also have hope. If we the
living have hope, then the death and resurrection of Christ is true. In the end it teaches us that death does not
have the final say. That God has shown
us a way out of hopelessness and will rebuild the cathedrals of our lives into
a new form, something beautiful if we can bring ourselves to embrace his new
way.
The great witness we have today in our Gospel story is that of
the empty tomb. Women, named Mary Magdalene and Joanna and men named Peter and
John who could hardly contain their joy and wonder once they came to conviction
– because of an empty tomb. But, that alone would not be enough. Something more
needed to happen and it did as Jesus appeared to them – but something even more
was needed. How they interpreted what happened and what happened to them as a
result is the most convincing truth of the resurrection.
Where do we find the risen Christ today? We no longer look in
empty tombs but in His Church, His Body – Jesus baptizes, confirms, becomes our
food of liberation in the Eucharist, unites in marriage, comforts the dying,
forgives sin, chooses and calls in the priesthood. In those holy sacraments the
risen Christ continues his work.
Finally, a recent article I read on the Notre Dame fire
questioned if this sad event, now filled with hope for reconstruction, may finally
awaken the “zombie” Catholics of France.
My first response was to cringe but then I thought it isn’t just France
who has Catholics appearing somewhat lifeless, distant and uninvolved in
their faith. Maybe this tragedy has
reminded all of us that we are not just a physical structure, however
historical and beautiful, but as members of the Church we are the risen
and living Body of Christ on earth. In
spite of our failings and limitations maybe it is time we reignite our personal
faith and become more visible and bold about who we are and all the good that
is done in the name of Christ. Zombies? - No - Alive in Christ Jesus!
This is the good news of Easter and the invitation to every one
of us to share in the life of His Church. God has no limits. To bring this good
news to a world that is empty - To replace the agony of meaninglessness, or
science and technology alone, of loneliness and rejection, of poverty and
sadness with the ecstasy of faith and hope.
Christ is risen indeed, Alleluia, Alleluia!
O God, who on this day,
through your Only Begotten Son,
have conquered death
and unlocked for us the path to eternity,
grant that we who keep
the solemnity of the Lord's Resurrection
may, through the renewal brought by your Spirit,
rise up in the light of life.
(Collect - Easter Mass during the day)
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