Why do you seek the living among the dead?
He is not here, but has risen" (Lk 24:5).
These words of the two men dressed "in dazzling apparel" rekindle the hope of the women who had rushed to the tomb at the break of dawn. These women did not yet know that this was the dawn of the most important day of history. They could not have known that they, they themselves, would be the first witnesses of Jesus' Resurrection.
Each of us must encounter the risen Christ in our own way if we are to go beyond simply a rational acceptance of church teaching to build a personal relationship with God. In some way we must go through our own passion, crucifixion and descent to the dead, to recognize the gaze of the risen Jesus. “I will be with you always, even to the end of the age,” Jesus told his disciples in Matthew’s Gospel. And, indeed, He is, in response to prayers, in the sacramental life of our church, and in even in our human relationships.
Then, in recognizing the risen Christ in our own lives, we begin to see him in others. And be Christ to others. This can, and should, be the gift of Christians to the world.
After the risen Lord encountered the apostles in Jerusalem and asked them why they were troubled, he showed them his hands and his feet. He affirmed to reality of his resurrection, and they became “incredulous for joy and were amazed” (Lk 24:41).
Joy is a hallmark of our encounter with the risen Christ, for we who were lost have been found.
Our age is not so different from every other age. The sins are not new. The shortcomings are not original. The suffering is no more painful than in other eras.
And our responsibility as Catholics is no different either. We are to care for the weak, bring aid to the sick, visit the prisoners, comfort the dying. We are to bring solace to the despairing, friendship to the lonely, hope to the hopeless. And we are to do all of this with joy.
This Easter, let us kneel before our risen Lord and ask him to transform our hearts, so that all who see us, see him in us. Let us joyfully celebrate Christ’s final victory over death, and let us share this joy with our world.
I would like to wish you and your family a Blessed and Happy Easter!