Easter Sunday

One year ago, we were still in the early weeks of the coronavirus pandemic, and yet so much had already changed. Public Masses were not allowed, so as to reduce the potential exposure to the virus. The Sacred Triduum - Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday - were celebrated in an empty church with only the priests and a couple of people in attendance to provide music and other assistance. It was the most unusual Holy Week I have ever experienced, and Easter seemed to lack the unbridled joy that we associate with our celebration of the Resurrection of the Lord. Today, we are more than a year into the pandemic, and though public health orders still limit social gatherings, we are able to celebrate Mass in our church once again, and advances in vaccines and health care hold the promise of brighter days ahead for a world that has suffered greatly because of the coronavirus. So today, let us again rejoice!

Alleluia! Christ is Risen! He is truly Risen! This proclamation, spoken since the first Easter, reminds us of what this day - the Feast of the Resurrection - is truly all about. In our modern world, Easter is often seen as a oneday event of bunnies, candy, pastel colored eggs, and a sumptuous family meal. But these things alone really miss the significance that this day truly holds.

Today is the feast of feasts! This is the day all creation longed for from the fall of Adam and Eve. God and humanity are once again made whole. Christ, by his Passion, death, and Resurrection, bridged the chasm between God and humankind caused by sin. The Resurrection is the victory of love and selfgiving over the blindness of hatred and sin. Even the once insurmountable obstacle of death is no more; having been overcome by the Father’s action of raising Jesus from the dead. The sacrifices we made during Lent should now make way to celebrating the overwhelming abundance of God’s grace and mercy. And as Catholics, we celebrate the Easter season for not just one day, but for fifty days!

As we celebrate, it is interesting to realize that according to the Scripture accounts, none of the disciples actually saw Jesus rise from the dead. Much like us, it was their encounters with the Risen Christ that gave the Apostles the courage to proclaim to the world that Christ is Risen! It is through our encounters with the Risen Christ, through Scripture and Sacrament, that we receive the grace necessary to share the Good News with others.

For some people, this day may mean nothing significant. But we, who celebrate today as a special recognition of the Resurrection of our Savior, know that it signifies our hope of eternal life with God. For us, it provides a perfect opportunity to be renewed in the Lord as we open our hearts more fully to him. This will enable us, in turn, to share the power and the promise of the Resurrection with others, and thus to share more fully in the Easter joy. Alleluia!