Read Reflect Respond

Feast Days |  Sundays |  Videos | Latest

Homily for Easter (First Sunday of Easter)

READ: (Acts 10:34a, 37-43; Col 3: 1-4; Jn 20: 1-9)

REFLECT: Easter –a masterpiece of God for Christian Life...

Dear friends, we are celebrating Easter, the most awaited day after 46 long days that include Six Sundays as well. Easter is the resurrection of Jesus our Lord and Saviour of the world. Easter day begins on the night of Holy Saturday with the Easter Vigil. The Easter Vigil has four parts; the service of light - which consists of blessing of fire and the lighting of candles, indicating to us the Light of Christ dispels darkness and spreads light all over; the liturgy of the word - which consists of readings from the Old and New Testament, narrating to us the history of salvation that begins from creation of the world till the resurrection of Jesus; the liturgy of baptism - which consists of blessing of water, giving sacrament of baptism if any and the renewal of baptismal promises; the liturgy of the Eucharist - which follows as usual with the offertory. The following day as usual Easter Sunday Mass is celebrated.

So Easter day reminds us multifaceted facts of life. Easter is a celebration that empowers us to celebrate the victory of Jesus and our victory over our death; Easter aspires us to be awakened people and rejoice in God’s blessings; Easter strengthens us to overcome hardships and hard facts of life and rejoice in God; Easter becomes a turning point in our lives to be joyful people in the Lord; Easter Encourages us to participate in the hope of the resurrection Jesus; Easter makes us Rejoice because death is not the end of life rather a beginning of new life in Jesus, the Risen Lord.

Friends, we all know that masterpiece is the greatest work in the career of an artist or group. It is a work done with extraordinary skill especially: a supreme intellectual or artistic achievement. It is a master work. We all know the painting of creation of Adam by Michelangelo. The creation of Adam is a famous religious moment in the teachings of Christianity which remains strong within Italy. The painting captures the scene of God breathing life into Adam who was to become the first man and was later joined together with Eve who helped to start off the human race as we know it. Another masterwork by Michelangelo an Italian artist, which is considered as a masterpiece is the statue of David. The Statue of David embodies the city of Florence, symbolizing independence and strength in the perfect image of youthful beauty. So making one’s work as masterwork or masterpiece involves lots of hard work, commitment, creativity and new thinking.

Similarly I consider Easter as a masterpiece of Christian life through risen Jesus. If we see the master work of God in the creation and I am sure the God has shown his master work more in resurrection than in creation. Because, Easter is the masterwork of God in bringing the dead back to life, failure to victory and the fallen to rise in life. The Easter celebration brings before us the reason to celebrate, reason to rejoice and reason to commemorate. We hear in the Gospel of Mk 8:31 He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again.

Yes, we have a God who fulfills what he has promised, did what he has said, raised the dead and gave hope to us Christians that we also be raised from death to life. Therefore it is a message of joy, message of hope and a message of love that God has manifested in and through Jesus Christ. So we have a God in word and deed and God who does great and amazing things in life. So based on the Easter celebration and the liturgy of the word, I would like to share with you three points of reflection;

1. Easter- a time to rejoice

Surely, everyday has a reason to rejoice, but Easter day has a special reason to rejoice because of the risen Jesus, who was raised from death, giving us hope and confidence to face death and obtain victory over it. The joy that Jesus gives us is certain, promising and eternal. We hear in the Gospel of Luke that the angel said to the women who went to the tomb looking for Jesus, “Why are you seeking living among the dead, he is not here but he is risen,” (Lk 24:5). Yes, Jesus is not dead, he is risen. Jesus has risen for a reason; He has risen to raise us on high, he has risen to give us all a share to rejoice in the banquet of the Lord. Jesus by his rising from death has given us a foretaste of experiencing the life of resurrection.

Pope Francis very beautifully shares that “the women thought they would find a body to anoint; instead they found an empty tomb. They went to mourn the dead; instead they heard a proclamation of life. For this reason, the Gospel tells us, the women “were seized with trembling and amazement” (Mk 16:8); full of fear, trembling and full of amazement. A fear mingled with joy that took their hearts by surprise when they saw the great stone before the tomb rolled away and inside a young man in a white robe. They wonder at hearing the words: “Do not be afraid! You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen. He is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him.”

Yes, the women were in fear and surprise to see the empty tomb. But their fear and surprise vanished after the joyful message from the angel and risen Jesus as well, “Do not be afraid, He is risen and you will see him in Galilee,” (Matt 28: 5-7, 10). They were no more frightened but people filled with happiness and joy, because their joy was exceedingly great that they would see Jesus again. That’s what we hear in the Gospel of Matthew, “In fear, yet with great joy, the women left the tomb and ran to tell the news to the disciples,” (Matt 28:8). We may feel that life is hard or not able to come out of the difficult phase and addictions of life; we may feel exhausted at times and feel all is over now. Let us remember, when we run to Jesus in faith our worries turn to wonders, battle of life to blessings.

So today let us rejoice, because nothing could overpower us when Jesus is with us and even death has no power over us by the fact that Jesus is risen; death may be for us a departure from the earth but never be a departure from our heavenly home; death can do nothing, because Christ has overcome death and proved that we too can overcome, provided we believe in the God of living. Therefore, for us Christians, death is a doorway to eternal life in and through the resurrection of Jesus. Jesus has been the cause of such joy, because nothing can stop us from being joyful.  So let us rejoice in the resurrection of Jesus and rise to a new life in the risen Lord

2. Easter a time of peace:

One of the most important feel of human life is to obtain peace. Today we search for peace because we are disturbed in one way or the other; the sufferings that we go through and the pain we undergo at times is insurmountable and unendurable. People give up in life their passion, their dreams, their wishes, and their career because they find no peace and happiness in what they do. The scripture reveals to us the disciples were in fear and trembling as to what will happen because their master was killed, crucified, put to death and so what would be their condition now. Their peace of mind was lost, they were disturbed, their dreams and wishes were shattered, but when they hear that Jesus is no more in the tomb they run all the more and understand that Jesus has risen as he said.

The despaired and disturbed disciples now come to their senses and believe in Jesus’ resurrection. The experience of the disciples that Jesus can be hoped for gives them peace. With this peace of mind and heart, they are fresh and enthusiastic to carry on God’s work in and through the power of Jesus’ resurrection. So let us not be disturbed about the deviations of life, disturbances that disorient life because Jesus is risen for a reason. The reason is to give us peace to the disturbed mind and trembled spirit and make us all enthusiastic and optimistic about life. So we need to take courage that Jesus is risen to give us peace.

Pope Francis calls us for a peaceful living saying, “Brothers and sisters, let us allow the peace of Christ to enter our lives, our homes, our countries. May there be peace for war-torn Ukraine, so sorely tried by the violence and destruction of the cruel and senseless war into which it was dragged. In this terrible night of suffering and death, may a new dawn of hope soon appear! Let there be a decision for peace. May there be an end to the flexing of muscles while people are suffering. Please, please, let us not get used to war! Let us all commit ourselves to imploring peace, from our balconies and in our streets! Peace! May the leaders of nations hear people’s plea for peace.”

Yes, there was a war of battle in the hearts of the disciples whether Jesus has risen or not; there was a battle in their heart what would their future be. Their peaceful minds and hearts were shattered. But the moment they see and believe that Jesus has risen, they obtain peace in themselves. Today many forms of battle have invaded the human society and still dividing the families devoid of peace. It could be words of warfare that leads to misunderstanding and quarrel or weapons that are used to seek the bloodshed of many. Let us pray and believe in the resurrected Jesus and in his power to obtain peace from all that is dividing and misleading.

3. Easter a time of Grace

Grace is something an extraordinary gift or unmerited gift of divine favor from God. I am sure; Easter is a time of grace giving us graces to be gracious and to become grace-filled people in and through Christ. The apostles and disciple must have brooded over that till now we have obtained grace as Jesus was with us and henceforth what would happen to us as Jesus is no more. What a gracious act of Jesus for his disciples that his grace would continue by the act of resurrection. The fact that Jesus has risen is a proof that the grace of God in Jesus Christ will continue more abundantly and powerfully. The resurrection of Jesus gives us a clear picture that the grace of God will flow continuously and constantly, provided we believe in Jesus and the power of his resurrection. So let us seek for this overflow of grace in and through the resurrection of Jesus to make us all gracious to one another and live as grace-filled people.

Pope Francis tells us, “Jesus, the Risen Lord, loves us without limits and is there at every moment of our lives. Having made himself present in the heart of our world, he invites us to overcome barriers, banish prejudices and draw near to those around us every day in order to rediscover the grace of everyday life. One needs to recognize him here present in our Galilees, in everyday life. With him, life will change. For beyond all defeats, evil and violence, beyond all suffering and death, the Risen One lives and the Risen One guides history.” 

Yes, the love of the risen Lord is manifested in giving the disciples and women the assurance “not to be afraid, he is risen and they will see Jesus in Galilee.” Perhaps the assurance of Jesus to the disciples and women is what we can call as grace from above. The grace grips their faith in Jesus; the grace gives them peace; the grace makes them happy and joyful to see Jesus. In order to obtain the grace from above and the assurance of God, we need to believe in Jesus and in the power of resurrection. Then, Easter would be a time of rejoicing, a time of peace and a time of grace. So let us obtain Easter blessings from the risen Lord. Let the Easter effect be seen in us as Easter people, filled with joy, making others and oneself at peace, joy in the grace of God.

Friends, Let us remember, if there is no resurrection without a Good Friday, be for sure there is no Christianity without resurrection. For resurrection makes Christian life meaningful and purposeful. Yes, our God is not a dead God but a living God; our God is not a God who merely says but the one who does and fulfills what he promises. Let Easter experience be a masterpiece of God for our Christian life with hope and optimism. Let us celebrate life for Jesus has risen; let us celebrate life because Jesus is the only reason to make us all rejoice in life. Let this Easter help us to rejoice in the Lord and with one another; let this Easter give us peace of Christ to share with one another; let this Easter grant us grace to be gracious to one  another.

RESPOND:

Do we believe in the power of Jesus’ resurrection and share the same with others?

Do we believe that Easter is a time to rejoice, a time of peace and grace? Or does it make no difference?

Do we realize that we are an Easter people filled with enthusiasm and optimism for life?

Let us believe in the power of resurrection, experience joy, peace and grace and be filled with enthusiasm and optimism for life eternal. Amen.

God bless us all… Live Jesus!

Fr. Ramesh George MSFS

rameshvkmsfs@gmail.com

9500930968