Easter Sunday
The disciples saw and they believed. Yes, indeed! Christ has truly risen. This is our core profession of faith. This this the cry of victory that unites us all here today. Jesus is alive, and therefore who can ever be able to separate us from the Lord? We will never be deprived of the divine love that conquered hatred and overcame death. The Easter proclamation spreads throughout the world today, with joyful song of ‘Alleluia, Alleluia’. The word that has remained silent all these days during Lent. Let us now sing it with our voices, and above all, with our hearts and lives. Jesus is our hope, He is the true peace of the world.
Reflecting on this Gospel passage, it brings back memories from various Passion movies that I have watched over the years on TV. At the end of these movies, the film director seems to get the actor playing Christ to rise from the darkness of the tomb into the bright sunlight that shines all-round him, even rays of light beaming through the holes in his hands. At that moment I say to myself, ‘Yes, He’s back’.
In the Gospel we heard, Mary of Magdalene came to the tomb early on the first day of the week. Her only thoughts were to see Jesus’ body. She might have wanted to complete any outstanding tasks on his body, since Jesus’ burial was done in haste, due to the Jewish feast of Passover.
A time where no work was allowed to be done by law. Mary’s sole desire was to spend time with Jesus. I wonder what Mary might have been pondering in her mind, on her journey to the tomb, what was she thinking about? It sounded like she had a restless sleep, as she was up so early in the morning. Very eager to get to the tomb, without any thought about how she was going to move the big boulder away from the entrance. Mary’s sole purpose was to be with the Lord.
To her surprise the boulder was already moved and without looking inside she immediately knew the body was not there and then she ran to tell the disciples.
Up until that moment the disciples failed to understand the teaching of scripture, that Christ must rise from the dead. In the months ahead they would recognise more and more the power of His Resurrection at work in their lives, calling them to live in an entirely new way.
In a similar fashion, we are also filled with Easter hope as we celebrate and proclaim that Jesus Christ is risen, because what happened on that first day of Easter, has implications for us too. The Resurrection is the central mystery of our redemption. Christ’s victory breaks all the chains of our sin that we have made for ourselves.
The newness of life is the key message of this Easter season. It comes about at the start of spring when nature begins to burst forth anew.
In Jesus’ Resurrection, God has had the final word. Jesus’ life ends in victory and not in defeat. The doors of Heaven are unlocked for our Salvation.
We now know, that we have a heavenly home to look forward to, a new vision to focus upon, and eternal truths to shape our way of thinking. This allows us to take a fresh look life, that we vowed to lead through our Baptismal promises. During this Holy Easter Season, let the Resurrection account, dwell deeply within our hearts, as we rejoice and praise His Holy Name.
We are an Easter people and ‘Alleluia’ is our song.
Rev. Fr Philip Wrigley's Blog 