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Mostly Cloudy and Windy Celebrating Christ's resurrection this Easter
Truly the Lord is risen! He is risen indeed!
On Easter, we speak these words, which echo back to the first days of Christ’s resurrection. After walking with Christ on the road to Calvary, we now joyfully go forth as the disciples did on the road to Emmaus with hearts burning within us. We celebrate the moment when Christ conquered death and gave us all hope of new life.
Even after nearly 2,000 years, that moment of the resurrection has not lost any of its power. While myths and stories eventually fade, we celebrate a historical fact, a living person who left behind lasting evidence of his wonders, which the world still seeks to understand.
This is especially true today, as we find ourselves in a historic moment — archeologists have uncovered the site of Jesus’ resurrection for the first time in nearly 500 years.
These findings offer us a great source of confidence in our faith. Scientific progress, rather than finding evidence against what we believe, through missionary archeology has given us a stronger connection with the place of Christ’s burial and resurrection. Further, it provides a powerful image as we reflect upon our own spiritual lives this Easter.
In its 2,000-year history, Christ’s tomb has endured many trials. It was covered over by slabs of stone, it withstood earthquakes, fires and the destruction of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, and many believed it had been lost. So too the life of Christ in our hearts can experience highs and lows — it may be covered over with our worries and concerns, it may be jeopardized in times of doubt and confusion, or we may even believe it has faded away.
Yet just as archeologists have opened up this holy site today, we are called this Easter to open our hearts once again to the power of Christ’s love and mercy. We are called to remove the barriers from our hearts and allow Christ’s glorified wounds to touch our wounds and the wounds of all humanity.
We profoundly experience this reality at the Easter vigil. In the darkness of the night and in the darkness of our lives, the light of Christ is ignited. Beginning with the Paschal candle, that light is passed on from person to person until the Church is made radiant. The darkness in our hearts is dispelled, and even more beautifully, it is dispelled by the light that is shared by our brothers and sisters in faith.
The excitement of that evening is not limited to one day, but extends throughout the eight-day Easter Octave. Each day we are given another story of the risen Christ. On Divine Mercy Sunday, we celebrate the gift of God’s mercy that touches the struggles of our own lives and transforms them into opportunities to grow in holiness.
During this joyous season then, we recognize that the Risen Christ’s presence, his touch, his personal words of assurance tangibly changed the lives of his followers, as they can change our own lives even today. Though Christ ascended into heaven, we remember that we can still have a personal relationship with him through the gifts of the Holy Spirit and the church.
Indeed most powerfully, Christ’s presence remains in the Eucharist. While history tells us Christ lived 2,000 years ago, we know he still lives today. He is waiting in our Churches for us to come spend time with him. He is waiting for us to join him at mass each Sunday, where we can share in his suffering, death, and resurrection as if we were by his side those many years ago.
We are challenged this Easter to allow Christ to change our lives by his healing touch, which gives faith, hope, and love. We commit ourselves to a radical fidelity to Sunday Mass, where Christ can enter our hearts and begin to transform them. And transformed, our hearts will burn within us, driving us all to spread the light of Christ and bring about dramatic missionary growth here in the Diocese of Rockville Centre and beyond.
