Beloved in Christ,
Jesus is risen! "This is the day the lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad" (Ps 118: 24). Early in the morning on the first day of the week, Mary of Magdala, and later Peter and John, in that order, went into the tomb where Jesus was buried and found it empty. His body was not present in the tomb. The empty tomb signifies and tells the story of our justification- his resurrection redeems our lives lost to sin. The disciples came to believe in the resurrection of Jesus when they found his tomb empty. Jesus has bodily risen from the dead. Jesus rises, and so shall we rise with him! Alleluia!!
We should make a big deal out of this sacred event- the resurrection of Jesus. Jesus, who suffered, was crucified, died, and was buried on Good Friday, is now alive! St. Peter recalls his death and resurrection in his sermon in the Acts of the Apostles, "They put him to death by hanging him on a tree. This man God raised on the third day..." (10:40). The resurrection of Christ is a fantastic act by the mere fact that he who was put to death for our sin defied death and, in fulfillment of the prophets, is now alive to die no more.
Jesus died, and he rose, and so what? It has consequences for all who die in Him because now they will live in Him forever; death will never have the last say on them. The good news of the resurrection of Jesus also has additional consequences for all believers. Now that we are risen with him in baptism, we must seek him who is in heaven. "If then you were raised with Christ, seek what is above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God" (Col 3:1). From now on, we must bear witness to the risen Christ. We are now witnesses to the risen Christ. We must continue to reflect on what the call to become witnesses of the resurrection of Christ means for us in the next fifty sacred days of the Easter season and beyond- into Pentecost.
But for now, on this Easter morning, let us offer "a joyful sacrifice of praise" to the Paschal Victim (sequence) because He is alive; death did not have the final say! Easter is, above all, a joyful season. According to St. Athanasius, "The fifty days from the Sunday of the Resurrection to Pentecost Sunday are celebrated in joy and exultation as one feast day, indeed as 'one Great Sunday.' " For the next fifty days and into Pentecost, May Jesus always be alive in us as we strive daily to witness the power of his resurrection by living our lives in Him and for Him.
Do keep in mind the ongoing novena to Divine Mercy. We will conclude the Octave of Easter with a parish celebration of Divine Mercy Sunday devotion starting at 2:30 p.m.
The Lord is risen! Shout Alleluia!!
Happy Easter!!!
Jesus is risen! "This is the day the lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad" (Ps 118: 24). Early in the morning on the first day of the week, Mary of Magdala, and later Peter and John, in that order, went into the tomb where Jesus was buried and found it empty. His body was not present in the tomb. The empty tomb signifies and tells the story of our justification- his resurrection redeems our lives lost to sin. The disciples came to believe in the resurrection of Jesus when they found his tomb empty. Jesus has bodily risen from the dead. Jesus rises, and so shall we rise with him! Alleluia!!
We should make a big deal out of this sacred event- the resurrection of Jesus. Jesus, who suffered, was crucified, died, and was buried on Good Friday, is now alive! St. Peter recalls his death and resurrection in his sermon in the Acts of the Apostles, "They put him to death by hanging him on a tree. This man God raised on the third day..." (10:40). The resurrection of Christ is a fantastic act by the mere fact that he who was put to death for our sin defied death and, in fulfillment of the prophets, is now alive to die no more.
Jesus died, and he rose, and so what? It has consequences for all who die in Him because now they will live in Him forever; death will never have the last say on them. The good news of the resurrection of Jesus also has additional consequences for all believers. Now that we are risen with him in baptism, we must seek him who is in heaven. "If then you were raised with Christ, seek what is above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God" (Col 3:1). From now on, we must bear witness to the risen Christ. We are now witnesses to the risen Christ. We must continue to reflect on what the call to become witnesses of the resurrection of Christ means for us in the next fifty sacred days of the Easter season and beyond- into Pentecost.
But for now, on this Easter morning, let us offer "a joyful sacrifice of praise" to the Paschal Victim (sequence) because He is alive; death did not have the final say! Easter is, above all, a joyful season. According to St. Athanasius, "The fifty days from the Sunday of the Resurrection to Pentecost Sunday are celebrated in joy and exultation as one feast day, indeed as 'one Great Sunday.' " For the next fifty days and into Pentecost, May Jesus always be alive in us as we strive daily to witness the power of his resurrection by living our lives in Him and for Him.
Do keep in mind the ongoing novena to Divine Mercy. We will conclude the Octave of Easter with a parish celebration of Divine Mercy Sunday devotion starting at 2:30 p.m.
The Lord is risen! Shout Alleluia!!
Happy Easter!!!
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