He is risen Alleluia
My dear brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ,
This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad (Psalm 118:24).
Easter reminds us that every Good Friday in our lives will have an Easter Sunday, and that Jesus will let us share the power of his resurrection. The message of Easter is that nothing can destroy us – not pain, sin, rejection or death – because Christ has conquered all these, and we too can conquer them if we put our faith in Him. He is risen Alleluia.
The late Catholic Archbishop of Hartford, John Whealon, who had undergone cancer surgery resulting in a permanent colostomy, wrote these very personal words in one of his last Easter messages: "I am now a member of an association of people who have been wounded by cancer. That association has as its symbol the phoenix bird of Egyptian mythology. When the bird felt its death was near, every 500 to 1,461 years, it would fly off to Phoenicia, build a nest of aromatic wood and set itself on fire. When the bird was consumed by the flames, a new phoenix sprang forth from the ashes. Thus, the phoenix bird symbolizes immortality, resurrection, and life after death. It was one of the earliest symbols of the risen Christ. In the same way, any person who has survived a struggle with cancer is considered phoenix-like, having risen from the ashes of disease and been given a new lease on life. Suddenly life becomes more precious to that person. Each hour is lived more fully. Each friend seems much more real. The sky seems more blue, the sunshine more beautiful, and the colors more vivid. Even dull and ordinary things are causes for gratitude to God.” Archbishop John Whealon could have lived in a gloomy tomb of self-pity, hopeless defeat, and chronic sadness, but his faith in the resurrected Lord opened his eyes to new visions of life. He is risen alleluia.
Perhaps the strongest argument for the Resurrection is the fact that his closest followers, those who were so timid and demoralized during Passion Week, suddenly became very bold and fearless and many eventually died a martyr’s death with hearts and minds firmly convinced in the Resurrection. We went from a group of frightened and scattered followers to a group of excited men and women, anxious to share their joy, their insights, and their love. That is the miracle of Easter.
We are an Easter religion. We believe that despite all the evils surrounding us, all of the natural disasters that hit us, the poverty, hunger and discrimination of the world, that we will not give ourselves over to that power, but through faith in the resurrection, we believe that all this suffering will be vindicated, and that like Jesus, we will be raised up and renewed.
As we go through life we all experience little deaths. We get a foretaste of death when we live in bitterness, loneliness, sadness and despair. In times like these, the world closes in on us, and we seem to have one foot in the grave. But we also experience little resurrections. When we know love, acceptance, and forgiveness; when we open our hearts to others and to life, the world opens up and we emerge from the tomb. He is risen alleluia.
Resurrection is good news, but at the same time, it is sometimes painful because it involves death. Before the power of the resurrection can take hold in our own lives, we are called to die to sin, to die to self. We may even have to die to our own dreams, so that God can do what He wants to do with our lives. Resurrection is about seeing our world in a new way. Early that Easter morning, Mary did not find what she was looking for, the dead body of Jesus. But she found something better than she could have imagined: the risen Jesus. Sometimes, the things we think we want most are not granted to us. What we get instead is an experience of God’s new ways of working in the world. That is the power of the resurrection. When those moments come, we must spread the news--just as Mary did: We have seen the Lord!
We need to be resurrected people. You may have heard a Zen story. Once upon a time, two monks were walking in silence through the forest; a younger monk, Anjan, and an older monk, Nanda.
Eventually their path led to a stream. There they saw a beautiful young woman, exquisitely clad, standing on the bank. She was in great distress because she wanted to cross the stream, but did not know how without getting her fine long robes wet.
Without hesitation, Nanda scooped her up, crossed the stream, and set her down on dry ground. She thanked him and continued on her way, and the monks continued on theirs again in silence.
Anjan was a bit distressed and confused. He got more restless by the minute and then finally spoke up.
"Brother Nanda," he said, "I do not know what to make of it. You know our order is an austere order, and we cannot so much as speak to a woman. But... but... you saw that lady, you... uh... picked her up and... carried her across the stream! And yet..." he continued, almost choking, "You just keep on walking as if nothing happened!"
"It is quite simple," Nanda replied. "I set her down on the opposite bank, but you, Brother Anjan, are still carrying her!"
Dear brothers and sisters could you let go some of the dead behaviour in our life. Vengeance, unforgiveness, pride... we should let go of them, we should not deify them and constantly focus on them!
We are a ‘resurrection people.' This means that we are not supposed to lie buried in the tomb of our sins, evil habits and dangerous addictions. It gives us the good news that no tomb can hold us down anymore - not the tomb of despair, discouragement, doubt nor death.
St. Paul tells us today: “if then you were raised with Christ, seek what is above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of the God. Think what is above, not what is on earth.” He is risen Alleluia.
My dear brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ,
This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad (Psalm 118:24).
Easter reminds us that every Good Friday in our lives will have an Easter Sunday, and that Jesus will let us share the power of his resurrection. The message of Easter is that nothing can destroy us – not pain, sin, rejection or death – because Christ has conquered all these, and we too can conquer them if we put our faith in Him. He is risen Alleluia.
The late Catholic Archbishop of Hartford, John Whealon, who had undergone cancer surgery resulting in a permanent colostomy, wrote these very personal words in one of his last Easter messages: "I am now a member of an association of people who have been wounded by cancer. That association has as its symbol the phoenix bird of Egyptian mythology. When the bird felt its death was near, every 500 to 1,461 years, it would fly off to Phoenicia, build a nest of aromatic wood and set itself on fire. When the bird was consumed by the flames, a new phoenix sprang forth from the ashes. Thus, the phoenix bird symbolizes immortality, resurrection, and life after death. It was one of the earliest symbols of the risen Christ. In the same way, any person who has survived a struggle with cancer is considered phoenix-like, having risen from the ashes of disease and been given a new lease on life. Suddenly life becomes more precious to that person. Each hour is lived more fully. Each friend seems much more real. The sky seems more blue, the sunshine more beautiful, and the colors more vivid. Even dull and ordinary things are causes for gratitude to God.” Archbishop John Whealon could have lived in a gloomy tomb of self-pity, hopeless defeat, and chronic sadness, but his faith in the resurrected Lord opened his eyes to new visions of life. He is risen alleluia.
Perhaps the strongest argument for the Resurrection is the fact that his closest followers, those who were so timid and demoralized during Passion Week, suddenly became very bold and fearless and many eventually died a martyr’s death with hearts and minds firmly convinced in the Resurrection. We went from a group of frightened and scattered followers to a group of excited men and women, anxious to share their joy, their insights, and their love. That is the miracle of Easter.
We are an Easter religion. We believe that despite all the evils surrounding us, all of the natural disasters that hit us, the poverty, hunger and discrimination of the world, that we will not give ourselves over to that power, but through faith in the resurrection, we believe that all this suffering will be vindicated, and that like Jesus, we will be raised up and renewed.
As we go through life we all experience little deaths. We get a foretaste of death when we live in bitterness, loneliness, sadness and despair. In times like these, the world closes in on us, and we seem to have one foot in the grave. But we also experience little resurrections. When we know love, acceptance, and forgiveness; when we open our hearts to others and to life, the world opens up and we emerge from the tomb. He is risen alleluia.
Resurrection is good news, but at the same time, it is sometimes painful because it involves death. Before the power of the resurrection can take hold in our own lives, we are called to die to sin, to die to self. We may even have to die to our own dreams, so that God can do what He wants to do with our lives. Resurrection is about seeing our world in a new way. Early that Easter morning, Mary did not find what she was looking for, the dead body of Jesus. But she found something better than she could have imagined: the risen Jesus. Sometimes, the things we think we want most are not granted to us. What we get instead is an experience of God’s new ways of working in the world. That is the power of the resurrection. When those moments come, we must spread the news--just as Mary did: We have seen the Lord!
We need to be resurrected people. You may have heard a Zen story. Once upon a time, two monks were walking in silence through the forest; a younger monk, Anjan, and an older monk, Nanda.
Eventually their path led to a stream. There they saw a beautiful young woman, exquisitely clad, standing on the bank. She was in great distress because she wanted to cross the stream, but did not know how without getting her fine long robes wet.
Without hesitation, Nanda scooped her up, crossed the stream, and set her down on dry ground. She thanked him and continued on her way, and the monks continued on theirs again in silence.
Anjan was a bit distressed and confused. He got more restless by the minute and then finally spoke up.
"Brother Nanda," he said, "I do not know what to make of it. You know our order is an austere order, and we cannot so much as speak to a woman. But... but... you saw that lady, you... uh... picked her up and... carried her across the stream! And yet..." he continued, almost choking, "You just keep on walking as if nothing happened!"
"It is quite simple," Nanda replied. "I set her down on the opposite bank, but you, Brother Anjan, are still carrying her!"
Dear brothers and sisters could you let go some of the dead behaviour in our life. Vengeance, unforgiveness, pride... we should let go of them, we should not deify them and constantly focus on them!
We are a ‘resurrection people.' This means that we are not supposed to lie buried in the tomb of our sins, evil habits and dangerous addictions. It gives us the good news that no tomb can hold us down anymore - not the tomb of despair, discouragement, doubt nor death.
St. Paul tells us today: “if then you were raised with Christ, seek what is above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of the God. Think what is above, not what is on earth.” He is risen Alleluia.
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