Word to the Wise
Sunday, April 20, 2025 - Easter Sunday: The Resurrection of the Lord; The Mass of Easter Day - ABC
[Acts 10:34a, 37-43; Col 3:1-4 or 1 Cor 5:6b-8; John 20:1-9 or Luke 24:13-35 (for afternoon Masses),59]
Imagine attending the funeral and burial of a loved one and coming back a few days later to check on the site and finding an empty hole or coffin or tomb? Who would be the first person or persons you would call? Would the thought of your loved one coming back to life occur to you? Grave robbery was common in Jesus' day, but whatever the cause, the feelings are akin to shock and horror. The women, who were the first to see the empty tomb and declare it to the other disciples, were dismissed until the latter went to see for themselves. But, as the gospels for today tell us, they did not first put the evidence together with the scriptures to provide an explanation for what they were seeing, It took angels and Jesus himself to convince them. But once that happened, the message was clear and was proclaimed: THE LORD IS RISEN! ALLELUIA!
This message has been worth the life of millions of Christians since that first Easter day. It has been proclaimed around the world in the face of skepticism and hostility from various "powers that be." The personal experience of Paul of Tarsus, a persecutor of Christians, with the Risen Christ, is an indicator of the power of the message. How did any of us first hear about it? The disciples on the road to Emmaus met a stranger who shared scripture with them and then ate with them before they recognized who that stranger was! How do we recognize that stranger when we celebrate the Eucharist?
Today we proclaim loud and clear: THE LORD IS RISEN! ALLELUIA! Will we proclaim it on Monday? What or who will remind us to proclaim it day after day? After all, it is OUR life too - our hope of life eternal - that we are proclaiming because THE LORD IS RISEN! In modern words, can we make this message "go viral?" AMEN
[To all my Beloved Congregation I wish a blessed Easter celebration. Share the news with one another: THE LORD IS RISEN!]