Easter,05

The whole Holy Week culminating with the celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus is the high point of for our liturgical celebrations. As St. Paul reminds us, Resurrection is the corner stone of our faith. The Resurrection of Jesus is the indisputable proof of the divinity of Jesus and of what He has been for us all through these centuries. As Fulton J. Sheen has beautifully expressed in his Life of Christ, the other founders of religion came, taught and disappeared from the pages of history but there was only one person who rose from his death and asserted that he is alive. It is in this Jesus who conquered the forces of destruction and death that we believe.

We celebrate this Resurrection in the aftermath of one of the great natural disasters that has engulfed humanity. The tsunami disaster has taken thousands of lives away within the span of a few minutes or a couple of hours. People all over the world, all nations and nationalities, were affected by the tragedy. We saw how within no time all the plans and dreams that had been held dear to the hearts of many had crumbled and been shattered. We saw the fragility of life and how nothing could help the innocent victims in the hour of tragedy. So many cried out like Mary Magdalene at the empty tomb: “Where is my Lord?” The faith of so many was shaken. But the tragedy has brought humanity together; differences in race and culture were forgotten in the mad rush to help and heal. We saw the resurrection of the generosity of the human spirit and the willingness of many to sacrifice their time, talent and resources for the well being of those who were deprived of everything.

Easter is an integral part of our life. In times of suffering and sickness, we often forget how God is sustaining us. We forget the joyful moments that He has given us. Easter is a reminder to each one of us that suffering and sickness do not have the final say on our lives. The last word belongs to Jesus, to His Resurrection and not to suffering and death.

We have to ally ourselves, our sufferings and tragic experiences, with the Cross of Christ to experience the joy of a new life with Him.This celebration of the Easter should enable us to cry out with Mary Magdalene that “ I have found Jesus.”

Before we experience the joy of the Resurrection, the tomb of our life has to become empty. Jesus comes in when our life becomes emptied of selfishness and arrogance.

Time magazine has published an article in one of its recent issues dealing with the encounter between Ms. Ashley Smith and a criminal who barged into her apartment in the early hours of the morning. The young lady, recovering from her initial shock and fear, began to speak with the criminal and slowly tried to change his mind, succeeding in the end to hand him over to the police. Speaking about the event, the columnist writes the following: “The message of the Gospels is that God works with the crooked timber of human failure…Everyday, we have smaller, calmer chances to turn another person's life around, to serve and to listen. How often do we simply not see what is in front of ours? How often do we believe that the world’s evils—from terrorism to crime to emotional cruelty—are beyond our capacity to change?”

Easter gives us an opportunity to look at the world in a new perspective—a perspective that positive and hopeful. Easter is a reminder to each one of us not to be cowed down by disasters, defeats and failures. There is a new life, a new chance, a new opportunity waiting for us. With Jesus beside us, let us move forward with faith that the outstretched hands of Jesus will lead us through darkness and despair to the bright lands of hope and joy.

The following lines from a poet reflect the spirit of joy and hope that one should have during the Easter season:

Come, my friends

Let us walk over the greening fields.

Life is awakening from its sleep

And wanders through the hills and valleys.

Come, let us ascend the heights

And gaze upon the waving greenness of the plains below

Come, let us rejoice on this Easter Day

For death has folded up his tent and gone away.