" He is not here; He is risen" (Lk. 24:5).
These words, my dear friends, were spoken to the Galilean women who had followed
the funeral cortege of Jesus, had noted where the tomb was and the position
in which the body had been laid. They had also noted that the tomb had been
sealed by a large stone but that did not deter them from returning " on
the first day of the week, at the first sight of dawn" (Lk. 24:1), with
the spices and ointments they had prepared for the anointing of the body, as
was customary. To their amazement they found " the stone had been rolled
away from the tomb" (Lk. 24:2) and when they entered, expecting to find
the body where it had been laid, they "discovered that the body of the
Lord Jesus was not there" (Lk. 24:3). The reaction of the women was very
natural. " They stood there not knowing what to think" ( Lk. 24: 4).
As they stood there " two men in brilliant clothes suddenly appeared at
their side" (Lk. 24: 4) and told them the obvious " He is not here"
(Lk. 24:5). However, the next statement revealed to them the full reality of
the truth which the Lord Jesus had told His disciples " that the Son of
Man had to be handed over into the power of sinful men and be crucified and
rise again on the third day" (Lk. 24: 6-7). The two men in brilliant clothes
told them: " He is Risen" (Lk. 24: 5).
What a truth to grasp! What a message to share! What a story to tell! And we still tell it every Easter Day with a slight but significant difference. We who have followed Him through His passion and death in these days, we who have mourned His passing in the company of Mary, His Mother, now proclaim: " He is here, He is Risen!" Yes, the Risen Lord is with us for He has risen for us. He is the reason for our singing of the Alleluia, for our rejoicing, for our spreading of this great Good News. The Lord has risen, alleluia! He has enabled us, His followers, to be an Easter People, to live a new life through our being made one with Him in the baptismal waters. Saint Paul tells us: " When we were baptised we went into the tomb with him and joined him in death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the Father's glory, we too might live a new life" (Rom. 6: 4).
Being an Easter People, being followers of the Risen Christ means we are called to new life and that new life begins here and now. By His resurrection and the overcoming of death, the price He had to pay to save us from our sins, Jesus Christ has won for every human person, in every clime and in every time, the grace to live that new life in Him. We are a new creation in Him and He is with us always, " yes, to the end of time" (Mt.28: 20). That new life in Him means respect for life and love, respect for truth and justice, respect for peace and well being among all.
In the present world situation, where wars and violence seem to be insoluble, where the abuse of drugs and alcohol degrade the human person and where the abuse of the innocent cries out to God for vengeance, one might be tempted to ask: " And what of Easter? What of the victory of the Cross? What of the new life we have in Him? Does it make any difference?". Jesus would answer, as He did to His disciples: "In the world you will have trouble but be brave: I have conquered the world" (Jn. 16:33). Only in Him can we find the solutions to the problems of the world. Only if we rise with Him, with hearts and minds renewed, can we be inspired to make a difference, to work for peace and harmony among peoples. On our own it is not possible. He has said: " Cut off from me you can do nothing" (Jn. 15:5).
Easter then is a time for all of us to assess our personal commitment to the Risen Lord. It is a time for each one of us to make a difference in the world, our world. This we can do if we remain one with Him. He has told us: " If you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask what you will and you shall get it"(Jn. 15:7). We have much to ask of Him this Easter.
Our Lenten journey has now ended before the empty tomb, that journey which began with the exhortation: " Come back to me with all your heart" (Joel. 2:12). Let us grasp the opportunity given us to really live the new life in Him, to really take Him seriously in every day life. Let it be seen, by our words and actions, that we are indeed an Easter People. The joy we share with others who have journeyed with us to the empty tomb is a joy that only the Risen Lord can give us. Once we begin to experience that Easter Joy we will have an urge to share it with everyone we meet and then we will make a difference. May you all experience the joy of the Risen Lord this Easter, for He has prayed " that my own joy may be in you and your joy be complete" (Jn. 15:11).
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