HOMILY FOR EASTER SUNDAY (DAY)-A

YEAR AFTER YEAR, GENERATION AFTER GENERATION WE HEAR IN THE GOSPEL OF JESUS’ RESURRECTION.  WE STUDY IT, WE DELVE INTO IT.  WE ARE SO FAMILIAR WITH IT WE CAN DISCUSS ALL THE MOST MINUTE DETAILS OF IT.  WE KNOW THAT IT WAS ORIGINALLY JOSEPH OF ARIMATHEA’S TOMB.  WE KNOW THAT IT WAS HEWN OUT OF A ROCKY HILLSIDE AND SEALED WITH A BIG ROCK.  WE KNOW THE BURIAL CLOTHS WERE LEFT INTACT.  WE FOCUS ON ALL OF THAT AND IGNORE THE BIG QUESTION.

    LOOK AT IT THIS WAY.  IF I STARTED THIS HOMILY BY SAYING “I JUST MADE IT HERE TO MASS IN TIME TODAY BECAUSE THE LITTLE GREEN MEN WERE KIND ENOUGH TO ZIP ME BACK FROM MARS IN THEIR FLYING SAUCER JUST IN THE NICK  OF TIME, WHAT WOULD YOU THINK?  WOULD YOU SPEND YOUR TIME DISCUSSING HOW BIG THE MARTIAN SPACESHIP WAS?  WOULD YOU WONDER WHAT ROUTE IT TOOK?  WOULD YOU WONDER DID IT GO BY WAY OF VENUS OR DID IT USE A SLINGSHOT TRAJECTORY AND GO BEHIND THE SUN?  MORE LIKELY YOU WOULD BE WONDERING WHEN IT WAS EXACTLY THAT I WENT CRAZY.  THERE IS SOME DEBATE ABOUT THAT I MIGHT SAY.

    THE POINT IS DO WE REALLY TAKE IN WHAT THE RESURRECTION IS ALL ABOUT OR DO WE AVOID THAT QUESTION BY FOCUSING ON DETAILS?  DO WE AVOID BEING CONFUSED ABOUT THE RESURRECTION BY WONDERING WHETHER IT TOOK TWO OR THREE ANGELS TO ROLL AWAY THE ROCK INSTEAD OF WONDERING ABOUT WHAT IT REALLY MEANS?

    YOU KNOW, THE HONESTY OF THE EARLIEST CHRISTIANS REALLY AMAZES ME.  THEY ARE THE ONES WHO REPORTED EXPERIENCING THE RISEN LORD BUT THEY REPORTED IT A WAY THAT REALLY DID THEM NO CREDIT.  THEY REALLY HAD ABSOLUTELY NO CLUE WHAT WAS HAPPENING.  LOOK AT MARY MAGDALENE IN TODAY’S GOSPEL.  SHE RAN BACK AND REPORTED THAT THE AUTHORITIES HAD STOLEN JESUS’ BODY.  THE DISCIPLES ON THE ROAD TO EMMAUS?  IT TOOK JESUS AND HIS EXPLANATION OF THE SCRIPTURES BEFORE THEY COULD GET THE POINT.  ST. THOMAS CERTAINLY DIDN’T DO HIMSELF ANY CREDIT WITH HIS REFUSAL TO BELIEVE UNTIL HE SAW THE WOUNDS.  JESUS’ RESURRECTION WAS MORE THAN THOSE DISCIPLES COULD POSSIBLY ANTICIPATE, MUCH LESS UNDERSTAND.  IF THOSE WHO WALKED AND TALKED WITH JESUS DAILY, THOSE WHOM HE HIMSELF TAUGHT COULD NOT UNDERSTAND THE RESURRECTION, HOW CAN WE?  HOW CAN WE EXPLAIN HOW LIFE CONQUERED DEATH?  WE CAN’T AND NEVER WILL BE ABLE TO EXPLAIN THE HOW OF THE RESURRECTION.

THEN HOW WILL WE BE ABLE TO CARRY OUT MISSION THAT ST. PETER GIVES US IN OUR 1ST READING TO PREACH AND TESTIFY THAT JESUS IS THE SAVIOR?  WE’LL NEVER BE ABLE TO EXPLAIN THE HOW OF THE RESURRECTION.  THAT’S BEYOND US.  WHAT WE CAN FIGURE OUT, WHAT WE CAN TESTIFY TO IS THE MEANING OF THE RESURRECTION.

ST. PAUL IN OUR 2ND READING TELLS US HOW TO DO THAT:  SEEK WHAT IS ABOVE, CLEAN OUT THE OLD EARTHLY YEAST AND FOCUS ON THE THINGS OF HEAVEN.  AND IT’S WHEN WE UNDERSTAND THE MEANING OF THE RESURRECTION BY FOCUSING OUR GAZE ON GOD THAT WE WILL BE ABLE TO TESTIFY TO IT.

THINK BACK TO THE APOSTLES AND HOW THEY TESTIFIED TO THE FACT THAT JESUS WAS RISEN.  THEY COULDN’T EXPLAIN SCIENTIFICALLY HOW IT COULD HAPPEN.  BUT THEY COULD PROVE THAT IT DID HAPPEN AND WHAT IT MEANT.  THEY DID THAT BY THEIR BEHAVIOR.  THEY ACTED LIKE THE RESURRECTION HAD OCCURRED.  ST. PETER THE DENIER BECAME ST. PETER THE ROCK OF THE CHURCH AND ST. PETER THE MARTYR.  ST. THOMAS THE DOUBTER IS SAID TO HAVE BECOME THE APOSTLE TO INDIA AND TO HAVE BEEN MARTYRED THERE.   IN FACT, ALL THE APOSTLES BUT ONE ENDED UP GIVING UP THEIR LIVES FOR THE RISEN CHRIST.  A CHURCH THAT CLAIMED FOR ITS FOUNDER THE MOST IGNOBLE DEATH IMAGINABLE SPREAD WITHIN A FEW YEARS FROM A SMALL SPOT ON THE NORTH COAST OF AFRICA TO ASIA MINOR AND THEN ON TO EUROPE BECAUSE OF THE FERVOR AND BEHAVIOR OF THE APOSTLES AND THE OTHER EARLY CHRISTIANS.

WE ARE CALLED TO TESTIFY TO THE RESURRECTION IN THE SAME WAY THE APOSTLES WERE.  EASTER IS FULL OF SYMBOLS OF NEW LIFE: THE CHICK BURSTING FROM THE EASTER EGG, THE NEW CLOTHES WE WEAR TO SYMBOLIZE OUR NEW LIFE, THE EASTER RABBIT AND ITS ABILITY TO PRODUCE NEW LIFE IN THE FORM OF LITTLE RABBITS MOST ABUNDANTLY.

IN OUR NEW EASTER LIFE, WE PROCLAIM THE RESURRECTION AND TESTIFY TO ITS POWER EVERY TIME WE ACT LIKE JESUS IS RISEN.  WHEN WE FORGIVE SOMEONE WE’RE ANGRY AT, WE PROCLAIM THAT JESUS IS RISEN AND THAT THE RESURRECTION IS REAL.  WHEN WE AVOID GOSSIP, WE SHOW THAT JESUS IS ALIVE AND THE RESURRECTION REALLY HAPPENED.  WHEN WE SHARE OUR GOODS AND TIME WITH OTHERS, JESUS RESURRECTION BECOMES REAL TO THOSE OTHERS.  WHEN WE’RE PEACEMAKERS, WE TESTIFY TO THE REALITY OF THE RISEN LORD.  WHEN WE HONOR OUR PARENTS, THAT IS PROOF TO OTHERS THAT JESUS IS NO LONGER DEAD.

PROOF OF THE RESURRECTION IS NOT FOUND IN AN EMPTY TOMB.  IT IS NOT FOUND IN A ROCK THAT WAS ROLLED AWAY OR BURIAL CLOTHES THAT WERE UNDISTRUBED.  IT IS FOUND IN THE LIVES OF THOSE WHO BELIEVE IN IT AND ACT ON THAT BELIEF.