Easter Joy
Father Brian Seiler

Alleluia! The tomb is empty. He is risen! We have journeyed through Lent, Holy Thursday, and Good Friday with the Lord with prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. The time for fasting and penance is over, and the feasting begins as we celebrate the Lord’s victory over sin and death.

Our first reading no longer comes from Exodus or the prophets, but instead from the Acts of the Apostles, as Saint Peter proclaims the message of the Resurrection of Jesus to the house of Cornelius. This new covenant in Christ will be shared with the gentiles as well as the Jews. In the second reading from Saint Paul’s letter to the Colossians, he writes that if we have been raised to new life in Christ through baptism, we must focus on what is eternal and not the passing things of this world. In the gospel, Mary Magdalene who never left Jesus through His passion is the first to discover the empty tomb, and becomes the Apostle to the Apostles. They see and believe, although they do not yet understand.

Jesus gave His life as the Passover Lamb to redeem us from the punishment for our sins, and rose from the grave to conquer sin and death once and for all. Like the Apostles we rejoice for death has lost its sting. The new life promised us by the Resurrection is not the renewed life of Lazarus, which would end in another death, but eternal life for those who believe in Him. Confident in the Resurrection, we Christians do not need to fear diseases, economic struggles, or social unrest because this world is not our home. We are made for eternity, and our faith will keep us strong in the face of the dangers of this world, for they will pass and only faith, hope, and love will remain.