Easter’s celebrations open a new horizon, a new perspective for the world. A new light illuminates our lives. The secret light we have discovered coming to this church today is Jesus, the light of the world, who came out from the tomb. The light of Christ has shown, and darkness fading away. The Gospel said the first day of the week, which reminds us of the first verses of the book of Genesis, when God illuminated the universe by creating daylight. So, celebrating Easter is a great reminder that Jesus, the risen Lord, is the light of the world that shines in the darkness of our lives to bring joy and peace to us. Easter is the feast of life, the feast of joy. It gives our Christian faith a great purpose.
Easter is about the first experience. There is always one first, the one that can change everything. The first day of the week, daylight shone in the darkness of the first women who went early to the tomb and realized something apparently strange had happened. The words they heard were: “Do not be afraid! I know that you are seeking Jesus, the crucified. He is not here, for he has been raised just as he said”. He is Risen. What a tremendous surprise for the women. What good news for the world. The resurrection brought a new day, a new light, a new objective, and a new destiny to us. To the women disturbed by the horrific and barbaric death, God brought new joy to their lives. To the world entangled with violence, injustice, and oppression, God gave the reality of the light of the resurrection. This is God’s response to the violence, hatred, and torture of the cross. The resurrection is the way God the Father responds to the sorrow and pain of the women in the Gospel. This is also the way he continues to respond to the sorrow and suffering of the people around the world who are desperate and hopeless.
My beloved friend, the word we heard today is: “Do not be afraid”, the Risen Lord is among us in our daily lives, in our liturgical celebration. He is here among us to give us new horizons in our lives. Our Christian life is a paschal life. We are rooted in this genuine reality, tinted with hope and trust in Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. This is the hope in the resurrection that makes Christianity totally different than any other non-Christian religion. This is our faith and the trust in a God who refused to limit our lives only here on earth or who will accept that everything is over at the tomb. This is a God who can bring new light even at the center of our own darkness. As human beings, very often we get distracted by our fear and darkness. It is not easy for us to learn how to let our fear, desperation, and resentments fall away from us and to make room for a special joy that we can only find in Jesus the Risen Lord. Yes, we need faith.
Brothers and sisters, our faith is paschal, even though there is still suffering and violence in our world, but peace, justice, and life will prevail; the paschal light still shines. We must know who we are looking for. Jesus the Risen Lord is in our midst. Let us rejoice and be glad. May these Easter Seasons bring to your soul a perspective to enhance your faith by making a very bold decision to follow the risen Lord to the Galilee of your own life.
