EASTER SUNDAY
EASTER SUNDAY
1st.R Acts: 10:34. 37-43
2nd. R.Col.3:1-4
Gospel John: 20:1-9
This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it! Today is a special and joyful day which calls for celebration because something great has happened in the history of our salvation. Today we are celebrating the greatest feast of the church the Feast of Easter. Easter is the greatest feast of the church because it was on Easter Sunday that Christ rose from the dead. The resurrection of Jesus is central to Christianity. Christianity is the religion of the resurrection. Without the resurrection you and I would not have been gathered here because without the resurrection there would not have been anything like Christianity. St Paul puts it very well in 1Cor. 15:14, when he said if Christ has not been raised, then our proclamation has been in vain and your faith has been in vain. And verse 17, he says, If Christ has not been raised from the dead your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.
Jesus Christ is the first to rise from the dead. In the bible, there are stories of many people that were raised from the dead; for example; Elijah raised the son of the widow of Zerepath (1Kings 17:17-24); Elisha raised the son of the Shumamite woman (2 Kings 4:8-37); Jesus raised the daughter of Jairus: Jesus raised the son of the widow of Nain (Luke 7:11-17); Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead (John 11): Peter raised Dorcas at Joppa (Acts 9:36). In all these cases, these people were raised to life by people and all of them later died. Jesus rose from the dead by his own power because he is God and he rose to die no more. Jesus lives forever.
The resurrection of Jesus was his own victory over death. In the words of St. Paul we know that Christ has been raised from the dead and will not die again. Death has power over him anymore (Rom.6:9). Death came into the world through Adams sin. Jesus the New Adam conquered death by dying and rising from the dead. A tree in the garden led to the fall of Adam. Jesus used a tree to restore us to God. Adam stretched out his hand to tree, that is to say he took the forbidden fruit, and consequently all human beings inherited death from him. Christ our Lord extended his hand on a tree and saved all humanity from eternal death. The Word through whom all things were created became Man and renewed the whole of creation most wonderfully.
The Gospel reading presents us with the account of the resurrection of Christ. After the death of Jesus the disciples locked themselves in a room because they were afraid of the Jews. For them that was the end of every thing because their master has been killed. The women who went to the tomb did not go there in order to experience the resurrection but in order to anoint the body of Jesus. However their visit to the tomb changed the whole story. Just imagine the kind of joy that the apostles had when they discovered that Jesus had risen from the dead. It was the joy and enthusiasm of the resurrection that gave the power to the apostles to witness Jesus after Pentecost.
In the first reading we hear of how Peter witnessed to the risen Christ in his sermon in the house of Cornelius. Peter summarized the ministry of Jesus, which culminated in his death. But it didnt end there - God raised him to life- allowing him to be seen by certain witnesses. Peter is one of such witnesses. This explains why he spoke about the resurrection with conviction. The shroud or linens used in burying Jesus and the crown of Jesus in the tomb were his witnesses. When Lazarus was raised to life, he came out with the burial cloth because he would need them again. But Jesus left his cloth and crown because he would not need them again. He will not die again. With the resurrection of Jesus and the descent of the Holy Spirit, the apostles were strengthened and were no longer afraid to witness to Jesus.
In the second reading St. Paul tells us that since we have been brought back to life with Christ we must look for the things that are above where Christ is. This means we must do away with vices and clothe ourselves with virtues. We must do away with the works of the flesh and bear the fruits of the Spirit. This reading is telling us that we must not be found lacking in good works and deeds, because they are the marks and indications of the new life.
As people who have experienced the risen Christ, we must live the life of Easter. The life of Easter is living in peace, joy and happiness. We have to prove to people that Christ has risen from the dead by the way we live our lives. We must live like people who have hope of a better future. We must be shining examples so that we can draw other people to Christ.
The resurrection of Jesus assures us that we shall also rise on the last day. We shall rise on the last day in order to experience the salvation which Christ brought. He has opened the gate of heaven which was closed against us. However, for us to enter the kingdom of God, we must prepare ourselves by living according to the teachings of Christ. Easter has relevance for us today not only because it offers the world a true way of life with an assurance of the resurrection of the body after we are dead but because it offers to all believers the hope of new life here and hereafter. For example, any time we suffer a loss, fail in some enterprise or we are disabled by an illness, we die a little bit but if we believe in the presence of the risen Christ in our midst, we will discover new dreams to pursue, new challenges to talk about and new reasons to try again. But if we believe in the real presence of the risen Christ, we will find that the impossible becomes possible and the unreachable becomes reachable.
It is because God wanted Easter to be relevant today that he arranged for us to meet with Jesus. The central way to meet with Jesus is through the Holy Mass. May the Mass bear fruits in our lives so that through us others will come to know the risen Christ.
As we celebrate this Easter amid COVID 19 what can we do to share the Joy of rhe resurrection? The first thing to do is to give hope to people. Corona virus will surely come to an end. There will be a light at the end of the tunnel. As we know the story our salvation did not end with Good Friday. There was Easter Sunday. Then what do we do? We need to play roles. During the passion of Jesus some People played import roles. Let us today play the roles these people played during the trial and death of Jesus: PETER, MARY, SIMON OF CYRENE, VERONICA , WOMEN OF JERUSALEMNICODEMMMU, JOSESPH OF ARIMATHEAN AND THE OTHER WOMEN THAT FOLLOWED JESUS. Jesus is not physically present with us to play such roles bur let us always remember: whatever to do to the least pf my brethren you did it to me (Matt. 25:45
Beloved in Christ, we are an Easter people and Alleluia is our song. We belong to the risen Lord may He grant you a most blessed and grace-filled Easter. May the risen Lord fill your hearts, and your homes with his love, joy and peace. May he shower his blessings upon all of us both now and forever, through Christ our Lord. Amen
1st.R Acts: 10:34. 37-43
2nd. R.Col.3:1-4
Gospel John: 20:1-9
This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it! Today is a special and joyful day which calls for celebration because something great has happened in the history of our salvation. Today we are celebrating the greatest feast of the church the Feast of Easter. Easter is the greatest feast of the church because it was on Easter Sunday that Christ rose from the dead. The resurrection of Jesus is central to Christianity. Christianity is the religion of the resurrection. Without the resurrection you and I would not have been gathered here because without the resurrection there would not have been anything like Christianity. St Paul puts it very well in 1Cor. 15:14, when he said if Christ has not been raised, then our proclamation has been in vain and your faith has been in vain. And verse 17, he says, If Christ has not been raised from the dead your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.
Jesus Christ is the first to rise from the dead. In the bible, there are stories of many people that were raised from the dead; for example; Elijah raised the son of the widow of Zerepath (1Kings 17:17-24); Elisha raised the son of the Shumamite woman (2 Kings 4:8-37); Jesus raised the daughter of Jairus: Jesus raised the son of the widow of Nain (Luke 7:11-17); Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead (John 11): Peter raised Dorcas at Joppa (Acts 9:36). In all these cases, these people were raised to life by people and all of them later died. Jesus rose from the dead by his own power because he is God and he rose to die no more. Jesus lives forever.
The resurrection of Jesus was his own victory over death. In the words of St. Paul we know that Christ has been raised from the dead and will not die again. Death has power over him anymore (Rom.6:9). Death came into the world through Adams sin. Jesus the New Adam conquered death by dying and rising from the dead. A tree in the garden led to the fall of Adam. Jesus used a tree to restore us to God. Adam stretched out his hand to tree, that is to say he took the forbidden fruit, and consequently all human beings inherited death from him. Christ our Lord extended his hand on a tree and saved all humanity from eternal death. The Word through whom all things were created became Man and renewed the whole of creation most wonderfully.
The Gospel reading presents us with the account of the resurrection of Christ. After the death of Jesus the disciples locked themselves in a room because they were afraid of the Jews. For them that was the end of every thing because their master has been killed. The women who went to the tomb did not go there in order to experience the resurrection but in order to anoint the body of Jesus. However their visit to the tomb changed the whole story. Just imagine the kind of joy that the apostles had when they discovered that Jesus had risen from the dead. It was the joy and enthusiasm of the resurrection that gave the power to the apostles to witness Jesus after Pentecost.
In the first reading we hear of how Peter witnessed to the risen Christ in his sermon in the house of Cornelius. Peter summarized the ministry of Jesus, which culminated in his death. But it didnt end there - God raised him to life- allowing him to be seen by certain witnesses. Peter is one of such witnesses. This explains why he spoke about the resurrection with conviction. The shroud or linens used in burying Jesus and the crown of Jesus in the tomb were his witnesses. When Lazarus was raised to life, he came out with the burial cloth because he would need them again. But Jesus left his cloth and crown because he would not need them again. He will not die again. With the resurrection of Jesus and the descent of the Holy Spirit, the apostles were strengthened and were no longer afraid to witness to Jesus.
In the second reading St. Paul tells us that since we have been brought back to life with Christ we must look for the things that are above where Christ is. This means we must do away with vices and clothe ourselves with virtues. We must do away with the works of the flesh and bear the fruits of the Spirit. This reading is telling us that we must not be found lacking in good works and deeds, because they are the marks and indications of the new life.
As people who have experienced the risen Christ, we must live the life of Easter. The life of Easter is living in peace, joy and happiness. We have to prove to people that Christ has risen from the dead by the way we live our lives. We must live like people who have hope of a better future. We must be shining examples so that we can draw other people to Christ.
The resurrection of Jesus assures us that we shall also rise on the last day. We shall rise on the last day in order to experience the salvation which Christ brought. He has opened the gate of heaven which was closed against us. However, for us to enter the kingdom of God, we must prepare ourselves by living according to the teachings of Christ. Easter has relevance for us today not only because it offers the world a true way of life with an assurance of the resurrection of the body after we are dead but because it offers to all believers the hope of new life here and hereafter. For example, any time we suffer a loss, fail in some enterprise or we are disabled by an illness, we die a little bit but if we believe in the presence of the risen Christ in our midst, we will discover new dreams to pursue, new challenges to talk about and new reasons to try again. But if we believe in the real presence of the risen Christ, we will find that the impossible becomes possible and the unreachable becomes reachable.
It is because God wanted Easter to be relevant today that he arranged for us to meet with Jesus. The central way to meet with Jesus is through the Holy Mass. May the Mass bear fruits in our lives so that through us others will come to know the risen Christ.
As we celebrate this Easter amid COVID 19 what can we do to share the Joy of rhe resurrection? The first thing to do is to give hope to people. Corona virus will surely come to an end. There will be a light at the end of the tunnel. As we know the story our salvation did not end with Good Friday. There was Easter Sunday. Then what do we do? We need to play roles. During the passion of Jesus some People played import roles. Let us today play the roles these people played during the trial and death of Jesus: PETER, MARY, SIMON OF CYRENE, VERONICA , WOMEN OF JERUSALEMNICODEMMMU, JOSESPH OF ARIMATHEAN AND THE OTHER WOMEN THAT FOLLOWED JESUS. Jesus is not physically present with us to play such roles bur let us always remember: whatever to do to the least pf my brethren you did it to me (Matt. 25:45
Beloved in Christ, we are an Easter people and Alleluia is our song. We belong to the risen Lord may He grant you a most blessed and grace-filled Easter. May the risen Lord fill your hearts, and your homes with his love, joy and peace. May he shower his blessings upon all of us both now and forever, through Christ our Lord. Amen
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