April 18, 2021

Post date: Apr 20, 2021 3:9:46 PM

April 18, 2021 Homily by Fr. Karl Schray

Has it ever struck you that the Church spends only 12 days

celebrating the birth of Christ at Christmas, but spreads itself lavishly

over 7 full weeks rejoicing in his rising from the dead at Easter?

The Gospels do not explain the Resurrection,

but the Resurrection does explain the Gospels!

The message of Easter which we cannot repeat too often is this,

“Without Christmas, Christianity would not have started.

Without Easter, Christianity would never have lasted.”

But Christ was born and so Christianity did start,

and Christ rose from the dead, and so Christianity has lasted.

On these Easter Sundays, we are trying to imagine ourselves

in the same place as Peter and the other disciples. Christ literally kept

appearing out of nowhere. Immediately before our Gospel starts today,

Jesus met up with two very sad and disappointed disciples who were

leaving Jerusalem and were going back to their home (in Emmaus).

He opened their hearts to the Old Testament Scriptures

that said that the Messiah had to suffer and die. As they walked along,

they did not recognize Jesus—

not until the Breaking of Bread did they realize that their guest

was Jesus risen from the dead.

They knew they had to return to Jerusalem and tell the others.

By now, Jesus had appeared to Peter and some of the women.

Then Jesus appears in their midst again and they are overwhelmed

but still finding it hard to believe what they are seeing.

So, Jesus asks for something to eat.

And Jesus reiterates that he had warned them that all that had been written

about the Messiah had now been fulfilled.

And what must they do?

They are to preach repentance in his name for the forgiveness of sins

to all the nations.

The important thing for us is that it was not merely

a story with a happy ending. It was a real story of life and death;

but this time, the other way around—of death and life.

A happy ending which is still going on and will till the end of time

if we do what Jesus tells us to do:

“You are my witnesses of these things.”