Go to Galilee

Easter Vigil – ABC

Gen 1:1-2:2; Gen 22:1-18; Exodus 14:15-15:1; Is 54:5-14; Is 55:1-11; Baruch 3:9-15,32-4:4; Ezekiel 36:16-17a, 18-28; Romans 6:3-11; Matthew 28:1-10

Today’s liturgy contains seven readings from the Old Testament, three of which are from the Pentateuch (Gen 1: 1-2: 2; Gen 22: 1-18; Ex 14: 15-15: 1) and four from the prophets (Isa 54: 5-14; Isa 55: 1-11; Baruch 3: 9-15, 32-4: 4; Ezekiel 36: 16-17a, 18-28). Seven readings – the number is not accidental – which explain the mystery of salvation and lead us to Christ. 

“And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. […] And there was evening and there was morning, the first day” (Gen 1:3,5). God created the universe through the Word (John 1:3) and it was created “very good” (Gen 1:31). But we have made a mess out of it. We have “forsaken the fountain of wisdom” – God’s commandments (Baruch 3:10-12; 4: 1), defiled the world with our sinful actions (Ezek 36:17), and ended up in an exile (Ezek 36:19). In that exile, we begin to “seek the Lord” (Is 55:6), knowing that His love is everlasting (Is 54:10) and if we forsake our sinful ways, God will show us his compassion to us (Is 55:7).

In order to set us free, God sends out from his mouth His Word to dwell among us (Is 55:11; John 1:14). But how will the Word accomplish God’s purpose (Is 55:11)? The answer is revealed in the story about Abraham and Isaac (Gen 22:1-18). Isaac carrying the wood for sacrifice represents Jesus who carried the wood of the cross and the fact that Isaac’s life was was saved points to Christ’s resurrection (Gen 22:6, 11-12; Heb 11:17-19). On the first day, early in the morning, Jesus rose from the darkness of death to begin a new creation (Mt 28:1; cf. Gen 1:4). Now, everything is ready for our departure from Egypt – the land of sin.

We “come to the waters” (Is 55:1) and enter into the midst of them (Ex 14:22). Through baptism we have been united with Christ. Just as he died, was buried and rose again, so also we died to sin, were buried with him and then raised to a new life for God (Rom 6:3-11). God has performed a heart surgery. The heart of stone was removed and we are given a heart of flesh. Then, God puts His Spirit within us to cause us to live according to His will (Ezek 36:26-27). The former slaves of sin have become the children of God. 

Those who witnessed Christ’s death (Mt 27:61) are the first to hear the news of his resurrection announced by an angel. It is worth noting that it was also an angel of the Lord who announced to Joseph that the Blessed Virgin Mary conceived Jesus from the Holy Spirit (Mt 1:20). Pope Benedict said that the virginal conception of Jesus and his bodily resurrection are the most contested articles of our faith in the modern world. For contemporary man it is hard to believe that God would interfere in the world of matter in this way. Today the world also tries to secure the tomb of Jesus (Mt 27:65), but such efforts prove futile. The Lord has risen as he promised (Mt 26:32).

“Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me” (Mt 28:10). Why Galilee? It all began there and it will begin there anew. Each of us has our own Galilee, where we met Christ for the first time and followed him. But each of us also has our own Jerusalem, where we failed him. And yet, we are his brothers and sisters (see Mt 28:10). And so, we believe the message of the women, return to the place where it all began, rediscover our original fascination with Christ, and with renewed strength go to the whole world to proclaim the Gospel. Alleluia!

Christ is Risen. Alleluia! 

Easter Sunday – ABC

Acts 10:34a, 37-43; Colossians 3:1-4; John 20:1-9

We can look at the mystery of the resurrection from various perspectives. One can see in it the manifestation of God’s justice. The one who dies for the sake of God is given new life by God. Jesus captured this truth in this sentence: “whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for me will find it” (Matt 10:39). The truth about the resurrection also testifies to the famous saying that “love is strong as death” (Song of Songs 8: 6). Death could not overcome God’s love for humanity manifested in Jesus Christ. “He who has love for all has established immortality for all” (Benedict XVI).

The resurrection of Christ is His victory over death. “Where, O death, is your victory?” (1 Corinthians 15:55). The Bible understands death as a consequence of sin. It was not intended by God, but entered the world through the envy of the devil (Wis 2:24). Adam’s sin like a viral disease destroys us all (Romans 3:23). But then new Adam came to the rescue, the one who “committed no sin” (1 Peter 2:22), and so death could not have power over him (Rom. 6: 9). St. Augustine writes about a wonderful exchange. The Immortal Word of God was able to die, because He took from us the mortal flesh marked by sin, and this death that destroys sin gives us life. “We gave him the power to die, he will give us the power to live”. 

The New Testament contains two words to describe life: “bios” and “zoe”. The first refers to the sphere of mortal life, which ends in inevitable death, the second refers to a life that goes beyond death. This is beautifully captured by the story of women seeking the Lord among the dead. Those who witnessed the end of Christ’s earthly life now hear the news that He is alive. Those who worried about the stone at the door of the sepulcher find the tomb empty. The crucified Jesus of Nazareth is risen. From His earthly life has emerged immortality – the fullness of life. Christ’s love is indeed stronger than death.

According to the book of Genesis, it was on the sixth day of the week that God created Adam, who brought the curse of sin on the whole human race. According to the Gospel it was also on the sixth day of the week, on Good Friday, that Jesus – the new Adam – died on the cross to erase this curse. On the seventh day of the week, the Creator of the universe rested “from all the work that he did” (Gen. 2: 2), and also on the seventh day of the week – on Holy Saturday – the Redeemer of the world rested after His finished work. The first act of creation was: “Let there be light. And there was light” (Gen. 1: 2). It happened on the first day of the week. No wonder, then, that on Easter Sunday, which is also the first day of the week, the light of indestructible life emerges from the darkness of death. Christ has truly risen and opened the gates of eternity for us all.

The truth of the resurrection gives direction to our lives. In the sacrament of baptism, we also leave behind “bios”, a life marked by sin and death (see 1 John 2: 16), and we enter the sphere of “Zoe”, a life dedicated to God. Saint Paul expressed this truth in his baptismal catechesis: “consider yourselves dead to sin, and alive to God in Christ Jesus” (Romans 6:11). It is also in baptism that God has spoken in us again, “Let there be light”, and “made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ” (2 Corinthians 4: 6). Finally, we should never forget the lessons from the Road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-35). The risen Christ journeys with us through life and we recognize his presence in the Eucharist (Luke 24: 30-31).

Happy Easter to all.