Posted by: Msgr. Joseph Pryor • Posted on April 3, 2024

The Lord is risen, Alleluia! Alleluia!
Indeed He is risen, Alleluia! Alleluia!

The late British journalist and author Malcolm Muggeridge led an interesting life. He spent the early 1930s in Moscow, led by the lure of communism, but he only became disillusioned. He spent the 1940s as an MI6 agent. He was an agnostic for most of his childhood. He found his faith in the late 1960s and became an Anglican, converting to Catholicism in 1982. As he grew older, he reflected on his spiritual journey and faith in Jesus and his preparation for death.

Many great teachers, mystics, martyrs and saints have spoken words full of grace and truth. But in the case of Jesus, there is a persistent belief that when Jesus came into the world, God intended him to be in human form…

For myself, the closer I get to my end, the more I find Jesus’ outrageous claims all the more fascinating and meaningful. Like an old man, when I wake up in the middle of the night, I often feel that I am half out of my body, wandering between life and death, with eternity floating in the distance. The ancient carcass of me, dirty and frayed like a piece of paper dropped in the gutter, lying face down between the sheets, and above me, floating above it, a butterfly about to break free from its chrysalis stage and take flight. It looks like. Are the caterpillars being told that their resurrection is near? When they die, how do they transform from pathetic creatures that crawl on the ground to aerial creatures with elaborately painted wings? If they were told that, would they believe it? I imagine some wise old caterpillars shaking their heads, but that’s not true. It’s an illusion. But between life and death, as the night clock ticks mercilessly, I hear the words: I am the resurrection, I am the life, carried on the great current of joy and peace. I feel like it is.

The joy and peace he experiences is rooted in his faith in the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, the Easter we celebrate today. Jesus is risen! The Lord conquered sin and death by His death on the cross. He rose up in His flesh and revealed His victory. His death brings life. It is the life of each of us who put our faith in God, who is “the resurrection and the life.”

The Gospel account in today’s liturgy recalls the first witness of this Easter faith. In the account, we hear the story of Mary Magdalene going to her tomb and finding a stone lying there. He runs in search of Peter and his beloved disciple. She tells them about the grave and they immediately run to it. The beloved disciple arrives first, but waits for Peter. St. John tells us that Peter went inside and saw the burial shroud neatly wrapped. The cloth that covered Jesus’ face was also there, but in a different location. Then the Beloved Disciple enters the tomb, and St. John, who is most likely the disciple, comments, “He saw and believed.”

For the past three years, Jesus has been encouraging people to put their faith in Him and follow Him on the path to life. Jesus taught them that this path would inevitably lead to the passion of God, but they never fully understood. For the beloved disciple, this was a moment of understanding, when everything came together and, like the proverbial “light in his head,” his eyes were opened to everything that had been. The darkness of passion and death was shattered by the light of faith. Jesus is risen! He did not need to see his body, an empty tomb was enough, although it will be explained later. Death has no power over Jesus. Jesus is alive and resurrected.

Jesus sometimes described his mission as preaching the gospel, the “good news.” The culmination of the good news is what Mary, Peter, and the beloved disciple encountered in that empty tomb – the Lord is risen! This is the gospel we proclaim and celebrate today. Last night, in parishes around the world, men and women were initiated into the saving death of our Lord through Baptism, Confirmation, and Holy Communion. Today, all Catholics around the world are reminded that we all participate in that initiation as we renew our baptismal promises. St. Paul later recalls that, having shared in his death, we are also promised to share in his resurrection and life. His death is our life. We live in a broken world that longs for peace, but the peace we seek is already here and within. It is the peace that comes from resurrection. Faith is the key that opens the door to peace.

The apostles and early disciples understood that this gift of life was meant to be shared.from the first reading Acts of the Apostles I am reminded of one of the many early stories of the apostles going out into the world to preach, invite, and share the life that Christ won for everyone. Those who first witness the resurrection will share the good news with others. They call themselves “witnesses” and proclaim the central mystery of our faith: the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Death now has power over God. The Father appointed Jesus as judge, and “everyone who believes in him will receive remission of sins in his name.” And with the forgiveness of sins, we can partake in the divine life. As the apostles risked their lives to testify, the good news is not just for us, it is meant to be shared. So we follow the apostles and early disciples in proclaiming to the world, “He is risen,” and inviting others to join him in his life through faith.

St. Paul, in his letter to the colossiansinvites us to think “not of things that are on earth, but of things that are above” and to live the life that Christ won for us with his life. The continuous transition from death to life occurs when we seek truth and live it, when we move from vice to virtue, when we choose good over evil. Jesus is the source of all good things. God is “the way, the truth, and the life,” and when we follow God, we can be sure that the path we walk is the path that leads to life.

Life is a journey. It begins before we are aware of it, in the mother’s womb. The life given to us is a gift. It is for living well. The journey has many twists and turns, ups and downs, blessings and trials. The anchor of this journey is Jesus Christ. He walked the same journey we walk. He shared the blessings we share. He rose to the obstacles we face. Our journey has an end. The end is not death, but life, eternal life.

As we celebrate the Lord’s Resurrection, we recommit to celebrating the gift of life, life in Christ, and living it well.

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