The Resurrection of our Lord; Easter Sunday (B)

Acts 10:34,37-43. Ps 18 Col 3:1-4. Jn 10:1-9

Deacon Jim McFadden

Today we celebrate with utter joy the Resurrection of Jesus. The Resurrection confirms that Jesus is truly the son of God, that His love for us has no limits, and that He is God among his people always.

What justifies this bold proclamation? It is the Empty Tomb. The women go to anoint a dead body and they we are met by a surprise that will strike them to the very core of their being. Jesus has risen from the dead and he tells Mary to convey this amazing news to others. And, how could she not? God is the God of surprises, and there can be nothing more astonishing than rising from the dead. This is the linchpin of our Faith. As St. Paul reminds us that we would be the most foolish and pitiable of human beings if our Lord has not risen. But if he did rise from the dead. We have nothing to fear. Jesus is the absolute center of our lives: not 25%, not 50%, but 100%.

We are so familiar with Easter, that for many of us the solemnity almost seems routine. Easter is just one more religious holiday and make room for the Easter bunny! But, no, Easter is a big deal because it is the most surprising event in all of human history.

God is always surprising us, which began with Abraham, our father in Faith. God shocked him by asking him to “Just go, go, leave your homeland in Ur and go to an unknown land.” Why did Abraham leave everything? He encountered God in the very depth of his soul, and he knew he could trust Him unconditionally. When God speaks to us, we, like Abraham, may be surprised, but we have the presence of Jesus in our lives to know we are surrounded by His love and strength.

How does Mary of Magdala respond to the appearance of the Risen Christ and his announcement to share the Good News? She runs to share this announcement with Peter and John. What do they do? They run without delay to the Empty Tomb. Something similar happened to the shepherds on that first Christmas: they run to “Bethlehem to see what the angels have told us.” And, what does the Samaritan woman at the Well do when she realizes that she has encountered the Messiah? She runs to tell the townspeople: “This is good news: I found a man who told me everything I have done.” And those people know what

she had done on account of her colorful marital history! Those people, in turn, run to encounter Jesus. Do you see the pattern?

People of God, this is the dynamic of evangelization. When the Risen Christ bursts into our lives in a renewed fashion, the important thing is to share this surprise with others. The Good News becomes conveyed by sharing of what we have experienced.

This, I think, is the key: we will only make haste to share the Good News of the Resurrection when we experience Jesus within our hearts and within our relationships because, after all, we are baptized members of his mystical Body, the Church; we are connected to one another as branches are to a vine. And, how do we experience the Risen Christ? Prayer is foundational: We can know that the Lord is Risen every time we go within the secret interior room of our soul, when we unite with Him in prayer.

We can experience the Risen Lord in the Church assembly, as we see Jesus at work among the Communion of Saints here on earth. When we “move, live, and have our being” within Him, we become transformed, which shows. For some people, the only Gospel they’ll read is your life. Just as the historical Jesus was the visible sign of the invisible God, we become the visible icon of the Resurrected and Glorified Christ.

We also experience the Risen Christ sacramentally. While Jesus is available in all the Sacraments, he is truly Present in the Eucharist. When we receive our Lord in Communion, we consume his Body and Blood; in so doing, we receive his soul and divinity, which is transformative. Being fed by the Resurrected Christ, we become Bread of Life to the world as we gratefully witness what we have received in such abundance.

With the wonder and joy of our encounters with the Risen Christ, may we always be open to being surprised. Remember the Empty Tomb; the surprising announcement; the running in haste; and the ultimate question: How do I meet the risen Jesus in the my life? Amen.