Easter Sunday: the Resurrection of the Lord (Mass of the Day)
(Acts 10:34a.37-43; Colossians 3:1-4; Matthew 28:1-10)
Today we celebrate the culmination of our faith, the
resurrection of our Lord Jesus. To better understand what it means we have to
first investigate the gospel. We will focus on see the account of the
resurrection in the Gospel of Saint Matthew that was proclaimed last night at
the Vigil. The Church allows it to be used again on Easter morning.
The account of the first event of the resurrection in
Matthew does not differ much from that in the other gospels. The angel of God
proclaims to the women that Jesus has risen and sends them to tell his
disciples the good news. The empty tomb is offered as evidence of the
resurrection.
Matthew's account is distinguished by two further happenings.
First, Matthew reports an earthquake taking place as Mary Magdalene and the
other Mary arrive at the tomb. Second, Jesus appears to the two Marys basically
repeating the angel's command but calling his disciples "my
brothers."
We should hear the angel's command to the women as applying
to all of us. The women are not apostles formed by Jesus to preach the gospel,
but simple people with great affection for the Lord. We too love Jesus and are
commissioned to tell others of his resurrection. In addition to words, we can
tell our associates that Jesus has been raised from the dead with actions.
Wearing a corsage or new clothes on Easter Sunday has always symbolized that we
have a new kind of life together with Jesus. Simply inviting the whole family
to lunch together can also serve as an announcement of the resurrection.
We remember that the earth also trembled immediately after
the death of Jesus in Matthew’s gospel. Now it trembles again like a roll of
drums to announce his resurrection. The tremor does not produce the
resurrection of Jesus but the removal of the stone revealing the empty tomb.
Both tremors signify two moments of profound truth in our lives.
The first moment happens when we realize that we are going
to die. We are not talking now about the prosaic fact that all humans will die,
but a near death experience. It could be a cancer diagnosis or an accident that
claimed the life of our companion. From this moment on we are going to live
differently. We are likely going to take much better care of our health. Some
take advantage of this moment to dedicate themselves to a cause for which they
want to be remembered. It may be the family, a hobby, or an avocation like
working for the sanctity of life.
The second significant moment happens as in the gospel when
we appreciate within our being that we are destined for eternal life. From the
beginning the Church has declared the resurrection from the dead as the destiny
of Christians. But as in the case of death for a long time it seems more like an
idea than a reality. Then comes a profound encounter with Jesus as the two Marys
have in our gospel. We perceive Jesus as close to us as a brother. In fact, by
reason of his resurrection we are his brothers and sisters as Jesus himself
declares of his disciples.
Our word Passover is derived from the Hebrew word pesach.
It means to jump over. For the Jews it refers to the passing of the angel of
death over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt. The passing of the angel
allowed their liberation from slavery. For us Easter is something similar but at
the same time different. It refers to the passing of Jesus Christ from death to
resurrected life. Also, it has to do with our passing from the certainty of our
death to the security of eternal life. This
life is ours because Jesus has chosen us as his disciples whom he has
transformed into his brothers and sisters. It is the cause of our celebration
today. Jesus has given us eternal life as his brothers and sisters.
