Reflection for Easter Sunday
Noli me tangere by Giotto (c. 1305)
Responsorial Psalm Antiphon for Easter Sunday
“This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad”
Psalm 118
Happy Easter! Easter Sunday is the most blessed and glorious day, the Feast of feasts. I remember in my religion class many years ago when the teacher asked us: what is the greatest feast day in the Church? Almost in unison, we said: "Christmas;" yet, we did not understand why this answer was incorrect. As one can imagine, children love receiving gifts on Christmas day, as is not normally the case on Easter Sunday. Yes indeed, Christmas is a very important feast, celebrating the moment in history when Jesus entered our sinful world as a baby to show us the way to the Father. Jesus, God and man, became like us in everything except sin. He took upon our human flesh so He can suffer and die for us in order to save us from the bondage of sin and death. Easter Sunday, Our Lord's Resurrection, is the climax of our salvation. It is the first day of the new creation which Christ won for us through His death and Resurrection.
Christ's Resurrection begins our new life in Him, and in it, we have the hope of being raised in Him. Jesus has broken the chains of death which separate us from the tree of life. Through His death, Christ opened the gates of paradise to all believers. He won victory over death and reconciled us to the Father so that Heaven might once again belong to us for all eternity. Certainly, we can see why the fall of Adam and Eve is called the "Happy Fault", as it gains for us so great a Redeemer. Through Christ's redemption, we have been restored to a supernatural state in a way far surpassing in glory if there had not been a fall.
Easter Sunday is all about Heaven. It's the day we look forward all year long, just as we look forward to Heaven our whole lives during our pilgrimage on this earth. Our faith and hope in the Resurrection help us to always seek what is above as we keep our eyes fixed on Heaven where Christ is seated at the Father's right hand. We see in Christ's resurrection our own resurrection and therefore through its numerous graces, we can follow in His footsteps, enduring courageously the trials of this life because we have assurance of our own salvation which Christ won for us by the shedding of His blood. The Lord's Resurrection should bring exultant joy in the hearts of all believers as we say: “Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia! This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.”
This is truly a day to rejoice and be glad. When we truly enter into the mystery of Christ's Resurrection, hope also grows in our hearts and this hope turns us into Christ's witnesses. Our love for others increases as well. In the First Reading, from the Acts of the Apostles, we see Peter boldly proclaiming the good news and bearing witness to Jesus' life, death and resurrection. Peter proclaims that he and the other apostles are “witnesses of all that Jesus did both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem.” Peter witnessed to the Resurrection of Christ to the people and he, as the head of the apostles acknowledged the mission that they have been given from Christ Himself to preach and to bring the good news of salvation and the forgiveness of sins to those who believe in his message. We are all called to be witnesses to the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, not just Peter, John and the other disciples. However, you might ask, how am I to bear witness to Christ if I am not a priest, a monk or a nun? Let Mary Magdalene teach you in her own simple ways:
In the Gospel of John, we see Mary Magdalene bearing witness, first of all, by her great devotion to Jesus. She was his faithful follower throughout most of his ministry. She was one of the few women who witnessed the Crucifixion and was present at the foot of the Cross while many of his close followers abandoned our Lord on Good Friday. She was the first person to rise and go to the tomb very early on Easter Sunday while it was still dark to finish the anointing of Jesus' body as a full burial couldn't be completed before the Sabbath. We see in her devotion, her great love for Jesus in these little acts. In the same way, when we try to spend time with scriptures, commit ourselves to daily prayer, attend daily Mass as often as possible, spend time in Eucharistic adoration, offer some sacrifices by denying some pleasures such as television, cell phones, computers, etc. to take the time to pray the rosary while meditating on the mysteries of Christ’s life, these can be ways we show little acts of our love and devotion to Jesus like Mary Magdalene.
Secondly, when Mary Magdalene arrived at the tomb and found it empty, she was distraught. After her encounter with Jesus, who strengthened her faith and love, she immediately ran to tell the disciples the good news of the Risen Chris. In the same way, if we are truly devoted to Jesus and we experience his love in our life, we want to share the good news with others. We want others to share that same joy that we found in knowing and loving Jesus. We want Jesus to transform the lives of our friends in the same way He did for us. We want the world to know the newfound joy we experience in Jesus. Do not be afraid to share the good news you have received, and what Christ has done for you! If a book you read or a movie you watch has a profound impact on your spiritual life and you feel that you are drawn closer to Christ by it (such as The Chosen, which I highly recommend!), you would want to tell everyone and encourage them to read or watch it so their faith and hope may be strengthened, too.
Let us ask for the grace to grow in the theological virtues of faith, hope and love so that these gifts can help us to recognize the importance of the Resurrection and how it can transform our lives.
ALLELUIA, THE LORD IS RISEN. HE IS RISEN INDEED!