Easter Sunday, Our Lord is Risen

Apr. 5, 2015 Easter Homily: Fr.Francis Chirackal CMI.

Acts 10:34,37-43; Colossians 3:1-4; John 20:1-9

For Readings

http://www.usccb.org/nab/040515.shtml

On Good Friday millions of people throughout the world gathered to venerate the Cross of the Lord. As I was watching the people here coming forward to venerate the Cross, I was keenly aware of the problems that many of them faced. This lady was sick, that man just buried his son, this child barely survived a deep problem, that person was cheated by his friend and business partner, this couple is dealing with their broken family relationship. Many were dealing with job loss, or worried of the sickness of their loved ones or friends, thinking of the approaching school exams etc. It occurred to me that maybe every person who came forward had some concerns. And still they processed up the aisle to venerate the cross in devotion, faith, and love of Jesus. Every person trusted in the Lord to guide her or his life. All of us, devoted to Jesus Christ, are drawn to the Cross of the Lord. For when we give all our difficulties to the Lord, the Lord finds ways for us to grow in love and grow closer to Him. Then our difficulties become occasions for putting our Christianity into action.

On the first Holy Thursday, a traditional Jewish Passover Seder, Jesus performed two miracles so that we could stay united to Him. He transformed ordinary bread and wine into His own body, blood, soul and divinity, and He empowered His disciples and their successors to do the same.

On the first Good Friday, He became an innocent victim of human injustice and laid down His life for claiming to be the Son of God. Being God himself, He had the freedom to reject this horrific event, but He exercised His freedom so that we might know the truth and be delivered from evil. Three days later, on Easter, that manifestation became complete one, when He triumphed over death by rising from the dead.

Today we celebrate Easter. It is the linchpin of human existence: With it, life is worth living, no matter its cost or pain. Without it, life is meaningless, no matter its fleeting joys or triumphs.  Easter means that there is hope for the dead. And if there's hope for the dead, there's hope for the living.

Our faith tells us without any doubt that Jesus Christ has indeed risen from the dead. If it weren’t for his resurrection we would never have heard of Him. His followers preached about him to the world without fear only with the courage and power they received after His resurrection, by seeing and listening to Him. We have seen Peter denying Jesus three times before a small group and another disciple ran away naked even leaving the cloth there itself. After a few days we see Peter preaching to thousands in public with mighty words and signs as he saw and listened to the resurrected Christ.

 With His resurrection the cross became a paradox. It was and it is an instrument of power for Christ. And it is an instrument of power for us. The apostles had nothing to gain in this world from talking about Jesus except rejection and martyrdom. They preached Jesus and witnessed His resurrection. The reason is, they had seen Him after the resurrection, He sent them out to continue His work and he promised to be with them and they wanted to be with him and these things they couldn’t deny.

Christ’s power was seen in His absolute submission to the Father’s will. Human beings tortured Him and killed Him. But their efforts to destroy Him, only resulted in His Life transforming the world. It is true that in the eyes of those men, if Christ had power He should have come down from the cross and destroyed his enemies, but He had come to conquer a bigger and stronger enemy than mere human power. The world was in the grips of the power of death, the power of evil. The Father saw the power that evil had over the world and wanted to destroy the power of evil, to destroy the devil’s hold on the world. By dying, by embracing what humans saw as weakness, Jesus unleashed the greatest power the world has ever seen, the power of Sacrificial Love, the Power of the Cross. For, as St. Paul says in his First Letter to the Corinthians, “The weakness of God is stronger than human strength.”

It is the same for us. For Christians our strength is witnessed in our very weakness. Once a dying Teen, Jamie Kelleher told the bystander that, “I have lost everything, but no one can take Christ from me.” This is the strength in weakness. This is the Power of the Cross. The Cross does lead to new life. He rose, so that we can walk in the glorious freedom of the children of God. Because Christ has risen, we can take hold of His presence, His power, and His love among us. Countless saints have experienced His presence. Countless more of unrecognized holy ones have likewise experienced His presence, power, and love. Recently, we heard and viewed on media of 21 martyrs whom ISIS activists beheaded. Their family members showed extreme faith in Christ supporting their dear ones’ faith and courage. Thousands of Christians are suffering rejection and pain only because, they believe in Christ. Recently a 73 year nun was raped in India as she is serving Christ. Hundreds of similar daring faith-filled incidents are happening throughout the world. It is obviously evident that the only force behind this courageous faith and martyrdom is the love of resurrected Christ.

  Today every one of us is invited and commanded, to proclaim the resurrected Christ with courage like Mary Magdalene to the world around us. This Easter, reminds us to take the challenges of our daily life with faith and holy courage, so that one day our pains, worries, sacrifices, hardships, loving services, humiliations for faith, forgiveness will see the glorious joy that our Lord promises and eternal blessing of heavenly light. The resurrection of Christ reminds us that no evil forces or worldly powers can overpower or defeat the Kingdom of God and the Spirit of God. Let us be proud of being a believer in Christ. We have the strength, we have the power, we have the spirit, we have the hope, and we have the courage in Christ, which will enable us to find the way for never ending joy in the midst of persecutions, pains, worries, humiliations and hardships. Our Lord is Risen. Our Lord is with us.


 Today we raise our voices in a shared Alleluia! Our Easter celebration should inspire us to leave today with a new resolve to praise the Lord and to rejoice and be glad, because this is the day the Lord has made; this is the day that is the source of our hope and salvation. God bless you! Alleluia.