Easter Sunday Reflection
Rising with Christ (John 20:1-9)
When we are invited to proclaim the mystery of faith, one formula expresses it as an event of past, present and future. “Christ has died,” an event of past history: “Christ is risen,” in present tense: “Christ will come again”, looking with hope towards the future of joining Christ in heaven. Christ has conquered sin and death, and he invites us to walk the road of life as a risen people. The resurrection of Jesus is an event for every day.
The resurrection continues today
Pope Francis has written: “Christ’s resurrection is not an event of the past; it contains a vital power which has permeated the world. Where all seems to be dead, signs of resurrection suddenly spring up. It is an irresistible force,” (The Joy of the Gospel, 276). When we renew our baptismal promises, we reject Satan who was identified by Jesus as the father of lies and a murderer from the beginning. The struggle goes on and the dreadful lies and violence which Jesus experienced continue today in the sufferings inflicted on the people of Gaza and Ukraine as well as other, less publicised, warzones. Pope Francis continues: “Often it seems that God does not exist: all around us we see persistent injustice, evil, indifference and suffering.”
Yet, even in the present-day repetition of Calvary, Pope Francis could see glimpses of the resurrection. “But it is also true that in the midst of darkness something new always springs to life, and sooner or later, produces fruit. However dark things are, goodness always re-emerges and spreads.” Because of the war in the Ukraine, virtually every country in the world is suffering because of spiralling inflation. The fruits of goodness are to be seen in the generosity, hospitality and sacrifices shown by other nations trying to find homes for those forced to migrate.
By accepting suffering, Jesus is in solidarity with us
The quotation from Pope Francis continues. “Each day in our world beauty is born anew, it rises transformed through the storms of history. Values always tend to reappear under new guises, and human beings have arisen time after time from situations that seemed doomed. Such is the power of the resurrection, and all who are evangelised are instruments of that power.”
Perhaps we thought that the horrors of two World Wars in the twentieth century would ensure that human beings would never again engage in such evil.
This Easter, let us put extra energy into the renewal of our baptism as we renounce the
evil ways of Satan and commit ourselves to the ways of Jesus. The kingdom of God, proclaimed by Jesus Christ, is one of justice and peace, truth and kindness, reverence for God and respect for people. The resurrection is not just an event of the past but it is the source of divine power to transform humanity. In a sense, Christ is not fully risen until he is risen in us. And one weapon at our disposal is constant prayer for peace.
Prayer
Risen Lord Jesus, make us instruments of your peace.
Where there is hatred let us bring your love,
Where there is injury, pardon.
Where there is doubt let us bring faith,
Where there is despair, hope.
Where there is darkness, light,
And where there is sadness, joy. Alleluia!