HOMILY FOR EASTER SUNDAY (DAY)-ABC

WE ALL LEARN FROM EXPERIENCE.  THE DISCIPLES, LIKE EVERYONE ELSE, HAD LEARNED FROM EXPERIENCE THAT DEATH WAS FINAL.  AFTER THE CRUCIFIXION, JESUS WAS DEAD THAT WAS ALL THERE WAS TO IT.  THEIR HOPES AND DREAMS WERE DASHED AND BROKEN, SEEMINGLY FOOLISH.  AN EMPTY TOMB?  NO BIG DEAL.  MARY MAGDALENE THOUGHT THE BODY HAD BEEN STOLEN AND, EVEN IN THE FACE OF THE EMPTY TOMB, PETER HAD NOT A WORD TO SAY.  THE DEAD DO NOT RISE.  THAT’S COMMON SENSE.  SOMETHING ELSE MUST BE GOING ON.

BUT THE DEAD JESUS DID RISE AND THE APOSTLES EXPERIENCED HIS PRESENCE.  THEY HAD A NEW EXPERIENCE AND THEY LEARNED FROM IT.  THERE WAS NO NEED FOR QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ABOUT HOW A DEAD MAN CAME BACK TO LIFE.  A DEAD MAN DID COME BACK.  NOTICE NONE OF THE GOSPELS DEALS WITH THE TECHNICAL QUESTION OF HOW IT HAPPENED.   SINCE IT HAPPENED AND THEY EXPERIENCED IT, THE HOW WAS NOT IMPORTANT.  THE FACT THAT IT HAPPENED WAS WHAT WAS IMPORTANT, AND THAT FACT CHANGED THEIR LIVES.

TO US, JESUS’ RESURRECTION IS SOMETHING UNNATURAL.  WE ALSO HAVE THE EXPERIENCE THAT DEATH IS FINAL AND FOR SOMEONE TO RISE FROM THE DEAD CHALLENGES US.  PEOPLE, EVEN THOSE WITH FAITH, WORRY ABOUT HOW IT COULD HAPPEN: WHAT ABOUT MICROBES AND DECAY, WHAT ABOUT PUTRIFRACTION, IS IT POSSIBLE HE WAS JUST IN A COMA?  ALL THOSE TECHNICAL QUESTIONS OCCUPY OUR MINDS.  WE DO NOT HAVE THAT DIRECT EXPERIENCE THAT THE APOSTLES HAD.  TO US RESURRECTION HAS TO BE A MIRACLE, SOMETHING UNNATURAL, AND WE STRUGGLE TO EXPLAIN HOW THE NATURAL WAY OF THINGS, THE NATURAL ORDER OF DEATH, CAN BE VIOLATED.

BUT WHAT IF THE RESURRECTION IS THE NATURAL ORDER OF THINGS?  WHAT IF IT IS ETERMAL LIFE THAT IS NATURAL AND DEATH THAT IS UNNATURAL?  THEN IT’S DEATH THAT HAS TO BE QUESTIONED AND NOT RESURRECTION TO ETERNAL LIFE.

PERHAPS WE CAN START WITH THE IDEA THAT THE WAY GOD DESIGNED THINGS TO WORK IS THE NATURAL WAY OF THINGS.  REMEMBER EDEN.  THERE WERE TWO TREES IN THAT GARDEN.  ONE WAS THE TREE OF THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOOD AND EVIL THAT ADAM AND EVE WERE FORBIDDEN TO EAT FROM.  BUT THERE WAS ANOTHER TREE TOO, THE TREE OF LIFE, THE FRUIT OF WHICH GRANTED ETERNAL LIFE.  THEY WERE ALLOWED TO EAT THAT FRUIT.  GOD, IN OTHER WORDS, DESIGNED US TO HAVE ETERNAL LIFE.  THAT IS THE NATURAL ORDER OF THINGS.  IT IS DEATH WHICH IS UNNATURAL, NOT ETERNAL LIFE.  IT WASN’T UNTIL ADAM AND EVE DISOBEYED BY EATING THE FRUIT OF THE TREE OF KNOWLEDGE THAT THEY WERE FORBIDDEN TO EAT THE FRUIT OF THE TREE OF LIFE.  SIN BROUGHT ABOUT AN UNNATURAL WORLD.

WE CAN SEE THAT JESUS BY RISING FROM THE DEAD BEGAN THE PROCESS OF BRINGING THAT NATURAL WAY OF THINGS BACK TO THE EARTH.  SOME EVEN CALL EASTER DAY, THE 8TH DAY OF CREATION SINCE WHAT WAS RUINED BY SIN AND MADE UNNATURAL HAS BEEN RESTORED BY CHRIST’S RESURRECTION TO THE WAY GOD WANTED THINGS IN THE FIRST PLACE, TO THE NATURAL WAY OF THINGS.  THIS RESTORATION IS WHAT CHRIST WAS SENT TO EARTH TO BRING, AND HE CALLED IT THE KINGDOM OF GOD, A RESTORED EDEN SO TO SPEAK.

WHEN CHRIST GAVE SIGHT TO THE BLIND MAN, THAT WAS NOT SOMETHING SUPERNATURAL, THAT WAS NOT A MIRACLE.  THAT WAS NATURAL SINCE GOD DID NOT DESIGN PEOPLE TO BE BLIND.  BEING BLIND IS WHAT IS UNNATURAL.  THERE IS NOTING IN THE ACCOUNT OF CREATION TO SAY GOD CREATED BLIND PEOPLE.  WHEN CHRIST CURED THE LEPERS, THAT IS THE NATURAL WAY OF THINGS SINCE GOD DID NOT DESIGN PEOPLE TO BE SICK.  ADAM AND EVE WERE NOT CREATED BEARING THE SORES OF LEPROSY.  WHAT WE SEE IN THOSE INSTANCES AND IN CHRIST’S RESURRECTION IS THE NATURAL, THE KINGDOM OF GOD, THE NEW EDEN, BREAKING INTO OUR UNNATURAL WORLD.  THE REAL IS PENETRATING INTO THE UNREAL.  THINK OF IT AS THE GLORIOUS RAYS OF THE SUN PIERCING THROUGH GAPS IN THE CLOUDS.

THAT WAS THE JOB THE FATHER SENT JESUS TO DO, TO MAKE “THY KINGDOM COME AND THY WILL BE DONE.”  JESUS STARTED THE PROCESS OF PIERCING THE CLOUDS AND LEFT THE TASK OF WIDENING THE GAPS TO LET IN EVEN MORE SUNLIGHT FOR US TO TAKE ON.  ONE OF HIS MOST COMMON STATEMENTS IN THE GOSPELS IS HIS CALL TO FOLLOW HIM AND BE HIS DISCIPLE.  TO DO THAT WE HAVE TO DO WHAT HE DID.  WE HAVE TO WORK TO MAKE THINGS NATURAL AGAIN, TO CONTINUE THE GROWTH OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD THAT JESUS BEGAN.  

HOW DO WE BEGIN?  WHEN GOD CREATED THE WORLD, AFTER EACH STEP, GOD SURVEYED THE RESULT AND FOUND IT GOOD.  THAT CAN BE OUR KEY TO ACTION.  WE CAN LOOK AT OURSELVES AND OUR SOCIETY AND ASK THE VERY BASIC QUESTION “IS IT GOOD?”, IS IT NATURAL, IS IT THE WAY GOD DESIGNED IT TO WORK.

WE SEE HUNGER.  GOD NOT DESIGN PEOPLE TO BE HUNGRY.  THE CREATION ACCOUNTS IN GENESIS DO NOT LIST A SINGLE DAY ON WHICH GOD CREATED HUNGER.  IN FACT, IT’S QUITE THE CONTRARY.  GOD CREATED A PLENTITUDE.  HUNGER IS NOT NATURAL, IT’S ACTUALLY UNGODY AND NOT SOMETHING GOD WOULD LOOK AT AND SAY IS GOOD.  SO WHEN WE FIND HUNGER, WE AS DISCIPLES HAVE TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT.    

WE SEE DICTATORS, ANTAGONISM AMONG PEOPLES, AND ABJECT POVERTY.  WHEN PEOPLE’S HUMAN DIGNITY THAT COMES FROM BEING MADE IN THE IMAGE AND LIKENESS OF GOD AND INDEED THEIR VERY LIVES GIVEN BY THAT SAME GOD ARE DENIED OR DEVALUED BY OPPRESSORS OF ANY TYPE, POLITICAL, SOCIAL, OR ECONOMIC, WE KNOW THAT GOD DID NOT DESIGN THAT TO HAPPEN.  THERE IS NO MENTION OF IT IN THE FIRST CHAPTERS OF GENESIS.  GOD DID NOT CREATE THE OPPRESSOR OR THE OPPRESSED ON ANY DAY OF THE WEEK THAT I CAN FIND GENESIS MENTIONING.  THERE IS NO STATEMENT THAT GOD FOUND OPPRESSION GOOD.  SO WE AS DISCIPLES HAVE TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT THAT UNNATURAL STATE OF AFFAIRS.

AS DISCIPLES, WE ARE CHARGED WITH TAKING UP JESUS’ TASK OF BRINGING ABOUT THE KINGDOM OF GOD.  WE HAVE TO REPLACE THE UNNATURAL WITH THE NATURAL.  WE HAVE TO MAKE IT SO OUR GOD CAN LOOK AT IT AGAIN AND SAY WITH SATISFACTION THAT “IT IS GOOD”.

THAT CALLS US TO TWO TYPES OF ACTION.  FIRST, WE HAVE TO ALLEVIATE THE SYMPTOMS THAT THE UNNATURAL THINGS CAUSE.  THAT’S OUR CALL TO CHARITY—FEEDING THE HUNGRY, FREEING THE OPPRESSED.  SECOND, WE ARE CALLED TO EVALUATE AND CHANGE THE CAUSES OF THOSE SYMPTOMS BY ASKING THE QUESTION OF WHY PEOPLE ARE HUNGRY, POOR AND OPPRESSED AND THEN REDESIGNING OUR SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC MECHANISMS TO ELIMINATE THE CAUSES OF THOSE EVILS.  THAT’S OUR CALL TO WORK FOR AND ENSURE SOCIAL JUSTICE—AND IT IS BY FAR THE HARDER OF THE TWO TASKS.  

AS ST. PETER SAYS IN HIS FIRST LETTER, WE HAVE TO FOLLOW IN JESUS’ FOOTSTEPS.  THAT MEANS FOLLOWING HIS FOOTSTEPS THROUGH THE COUNTRYSIDE AND DOING THE WORK HE DID, CURING, FEEDING, TEACHING AND FORGIVING.  BUT IT ALSO MEANS FOLLOWING HIS FOOTSTEPS UP THE HILL TO CALVARY.  JESUS WAS COMPLETELY UPFRONT ABOUT THAT.  AS WE WORK BRING BACK THE NATURAL, TO ESTABLISH THE KINGDOM OF GOD, EACH OF US, JUST LIKE OUR MASTER, WILL ALSO HAVE OUR CALVARY WHATEVER FORM IT MIGHT TAKE.    BUT FOLLOWING IN THE MASTER’S FOOTSTEPS ALSO MEANS WE WILL FOLLOW HIM OUT OF THE GRAVE AND INTO THE PRESENCE OF THE FATHER.