Happy and blessed Easter to Everyone!
Happy and blessed Easter to Everyone!
He is Risen! Hallelujah! Good Friday and Holy Saturday is over. Now let us go with Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary, the mother of James and Salome to visit the tomb (Mark16:1). It is a sign of life. What did we see there, the empty tomb. They were terrified. If you were with them do you rewind the scene of Good Friday - the brutal and sacrificial suffering of Jesus. They might have thought it was the end of everything.
If we look around, we see so much pain, dehumanization, suffering, and death. One side thousands of people who die in the war zone. On the other side we see people die of starvation or other reasons. In many circumstances dignity of life is diminished. Violence and death became part of our daily life. We may be tempted to say it is the end of everything.
The empty tomb is sign of Hope. There is a young man sitting in the tomb with good news: "Do not be afraid! You seek Jesus of Nazareth, the crucified. He has been raised; he is not here. Behold, the place where they laid him” (Mark 16:6). He has Risen! Alleluia!! I wish you all a Blessed Easter!
It is beautiful to walk through the reading for Easter. The Old Testament readings of the Easter Vigil tell us the covenant history of salvation: beginning with creation and extending to the prophetic promises of a new covenant. The first reading from the Book of Genesis (1:1-2:2), narrates the fundamental doctrine of creation and prepares us for the renewal of Baptismal promises as a new creation. In the second reading also from the book of Genesis 22:1-18), Abraham was asked to sacrifice his only son. It is the high point of Abraham’s covenant relationship with God and blessing on his descendants. On Good Friday, Our Heavenly Father allows his only begotten Son to be crucified on Calvary. In the third reading from the book of Exodus, Israelites marched on the dry land through the midst of the sea (14:15-5:1). The parting of the sea is a critical Old Testament type of baptism.
The next two readings are from the book of Isaiah. In the fourth reading, the Lord will with his enduring love, resume his covenant love for Zion and rebuild with precious stones and grant it righteousness and prosperity (54:5-14). This reading shapes the minds of believers, especially those who are receiving Sacraments, about the dual reality of the Church as both Bride and Temple. The fifth reading is an invitation for a meal. The Lord’s thoughts and ways are higher, and His words will not return empty (55:1-11). This passage is associated with the Gospel of Matthew (14:13-21) the account of the feeding of the five thousand. Ultimately it leads to the Eucharist. This reading prepares us to reaffirm our faith and particularly those who are prepared to receive the Sacrament of Eucharist for the first time. The next reading is from the book of the prophet Baruch which talks about wisdom and law (3:9-15, 32-4:4). It is an invitation to walk towards the splendor of the Lord and live the faith to the full. The seventh reading from the Book of Ezekiel talks about the restoration of Israel (36:16-17, 18- 28). The Lord will gather the Israelites from exile, cleans them by sprinkling the clean water, and give them a new heart and a new spirit, so they can grow in the law of love. The Sacrament of Baptism is the new cleansing and the Holy Spirit renewing the heart to grow in the law of love.
A couple of years ago I had the privilege of going on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. We did make the Way of the Cross to Calvary and visited where Jesus was crucified and buried. We celebrated Mass at the Church of Holy Sepulcher. In the Church of Sepulcher, we can see the place where Jesus was crucified, “Golgotha” and next to it is a small church within the Church Sepulcher, which is the empty tomb of Christ – the Church of Resurrection.
The Easter Sunday Gospel reading from John (20: 1-9) starts with “On the first day of the week.” The Gospel for Easter Vigil Mass (Mark 16:1-7) starts by saying, “When the Sabbath was over.” Here Mark and John highlight the connection between Easter and Sunday: the Sabbath was over and the first day of the week. In another word, it was Sunday that Jesus Christ was resurrected from the dead. In the book of Genesis chapter one and two gives us a creation account. God created everything and finally human beings as the crown of creation and on the seventh day God rested. We read in Genesis 2:3, “God blessed the seventh day and made it holy because on it he rested from all the work he had done in creation.”
The first day of the week recalls the first creation. After the Sabbath, the first day of the week, Christ through his death and Resurrection made everything new. God didn’t just come to save us; he came to make all things new – New Creations. Let us rise with him on Easter and become his new creation. He has Risen! Alleluia!! Happy Easter!
Thank you to everyone who helped with Holy Week liturgies. Decorators, musicians, readers, greeters, servers, all those who donated the Easter Lilies and plants, all those who actively participated, and the list go on and on. Thank you!