4/20/2014 – Easter Sunday – John 20:1-9

        Our Gospel today tells us that Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early while it was still dark.   Her Lord and Savior had just been crucified.  It was still dark outside in the early morning hours when she visited the tomb.  The darkness of the early morning hours was probably overshadowed by the spiritual darkness that consumed her that morning.  Full of remorse and pain, anger and frustration, Mary Magdalene believed that our Lord’s body had been stolen from the tomb.  He had been put to death in the most violent way possible, but now his body cannot even be anointed in the Jewish burial tradition.   This is a first sign for Mary Magdalene, for Peter and the beloved disciple, of knowing that something very special and very unique was happening.  But they still no idea what all of this was about, about the full implications that the resurrection would have on their lives and their faith.

          Last night, we celebrated the Easter Vigil mass.  The symbolism of that mass is so striking.  In the rehearsal for that mass, we were explaining to the members of the RCIA class and their sponsors that the beginning of the liturgy starts in the darkness of the night.  The Easter fire starts out in front of the church, symbolizing the light of Christ that is brought into our world and into our lives in a very special way through his death and resurrection.  We have our candles lit by the light of Christ, symbolizing the source of the true light for us in our lives.

        During the holy season of Lent, we have been talking about how we search for God in all things.    We search for God in moment of tragedy and challenge.  We search for him not only in the quiet, prayerful moments in our lives, but also in the busy schedules of our modern lives, in those moments that change us and transform us in very profound ways.  We search for God in the questions that we have and in the things that bind us and restrict us in life. During Lent, we journeyed with Jesus on his way to the cross.  We meditated upon his sufferings and his passion.  We knew that he would die on a cross on Good Friday.  That is a big part of what we believe as Catholics.  However, also with the cross is the resurrection.   We believe in the joy, the new life, the liberation that comes from the resurrection.

        Traditionally, in the Early Church, the Easter Vigil mass was the time when adults would enter the faith.   Last night at our Easter Vigil mass at St James, we had three adults come into the Church as catechumens – they were baptized last night, as well as five children from those families and a high school student of our parish who had not been baptized before.   We had one other adult come into full communion in the Catholic Church from another Christian denomination.  They underwent a year-long process that culminated into their entry into the Church last night.  The joy those neophytes and their families experienced is a great witness to all of us.

      But, look at what today’s Gospel says carefully.  The beloved disciple saw the empty tomb – he saw all that was happening – and he believed.  Yet, it also said that this group still did not understand all that the Scriptures said.   The members of the Early Church believed, but they spent a lot time figuring out what Jesus was all about, figuring out what relevance he had in their lives and in what they believed.  We, too, are called to believe.  We, too, are called to be witnesses.  This Easter season that we are now entering is a wonderful time for us to examine our faith, to recommit ourselves to what we believe.   Perhaps we have not been attending mass regularly or are thinking about how we can become more engaged in our parish.  Now is a good time to put some of that into action.  For these next weeks during the Easter season, the Church invites us to ponder what the resurrection of Jesus really means to us, to ponder what it really means to live the resurrection in our lives.  Let us all accept that invitation.