"...He is not here,but he has been raised..." Luke 24:6
Three different Gospel passages are prescribed for the celebrations of the Easter Vigil, Easter morning, and Easter afternoon. All three recount the events of learning of the resurrection of Jesus through different lenses. All recount the same astounding truth: he who was crucified and buried will not be found in the tomb. There is much “breathless” activity in these accounts.
After the tour-de-force of Holy Week, it could be understood if we ourselves would be nearly breathless as we arrive at Easter. We have been in darkness and full light. We have been in silence, and in the full sounds of instrument and voice. We have been called to listen at perhaps greater length, and we have been invited to respond in ways that occur one time each year.
I have fond memories of Easters past, both in the “younger” years of priestly ministry and all the way back to childhood and our annual updating of our Easter outfits, from the “soft hats” men wore to the more creative hats my Mom and other women wore to Mass and to our wider family celebration that day.
The gift and the challenge to me and to all of us this day, THIS Easter, is to remember what the Scriptures have reminded us. But to realize also that this Mystery, this Truth is as real and as fresh in us as it was in Mary Magdalene, Peter “and the other disciple [John]” and in Cleopas and his wife, Mary on the road to Emmaus. If it doesn’t seem compelling for us, then there is work to be done. If it does seem compelling in some measure, then God’s Spirit is at work in us, and still there is work to be done. We want to be able to say or sing “Alleluia” not just with our voices but with every fiber of our being. Easter grace to you and all whom you love!