Acts 10:34, 37-43
Psalm 118:1-2, 16-17, 22-23
Colossians 3:1-4
John 20:1-9
As I sat in silence gazing upon
the Cross after the Good Friday Liturgy two night ago, I found myself asking
what seemed to me a foolish question: Why do we look forward to Easter so much?
Letting this question come up over and over in my mind, I began to reflect on
what Easter is, what it means for the Church, the celebrations that are part of
it and a whole variety of topics that I was hoping would lead me in the
direction of a homily for today. In the midst of all these things going on in
my mind, a woman stood up and quietly ascended the sanctuary steps and
approached the Cross. She knelt down, holding on to the Cross, and prayed for a
couple of minutes. As I saw this woman literally coming to the foot of the
Cross with what I assume were the crosses she herself has been asked to bear, I
couldn’t help but reflect upon the liturgy we had just celebrated where all of
us came forward to reverence the Cross, each in his or her own way. A
genuflection, a gentle touch by one’s hand, a kiss. I could see by the look on
people’s faces that they each had their own crosses and sought consolation in
the Cross that Jesus bore. Here I began to understand the beauty and power of
the Easter celebration.
All of us experience suffering in
our lives. The Resurrection of Christ puts that suffering into context.
When Peter enters the empty tomb
and finds the burial cloths lying there, something changed in his heart. The
description of the burial cloths seems to indicate, especially in the original
Greek, that the scene was not like that of Lazarus, who was revived from the
dead and then needed to be unwrapped. The burials cloths of Christ lay in the
same place that He was laid to rest. Rather than having to unroll the cloths,
it seems that the Lord Jesus simply passed through them as He would later pass
through the locked door and greet the Apostles. As Peter looked at the cloths
lying there where they were to start with, it seems that he then realized that
something entirely new was taking place; something they were still trying to
grasp.
The Resurrection of Christ from
the dead shows us that God not only takes things and makes them better. He
makes them wholly new. He transforms them and elevates them to a whole new
reality. We who were once simply creatures made by a Creator are now sons and
daughters of God the Father. Though once bound by sin, we now have freedom
through the sacraments of baptism, Eucharist and reconciliation. And most
incredible of all, we who are deserving of eternal death are given by Christ
the promise of eternal life if we simply follow in His ways.
 |
| Yes, Heaven will be even greater than this... |
To us on Earth, Heaven is a
reality that brings such great joy to the soul who contemplates it. And yet we
know that even these thoughts fall infinitely short of the glory that awaits
us. So as we rejoice today in the great mystery of the Resurrection of Christ
from the dead, let us be mindful of the words of St. Paul and think not of
earthly things, but rather of heavenly things, as we eagerly wait in hope for
that day when we too are joined with that Resurrected Christ for all eternity
in that place where all things are made new.
No comments:
Post a Comment