March 27^th 2016.  Easter Sunday – The Resurrection of Our Lord

GOSPEL: John 20:1-9

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­Translated from a homily by Don Fabio Rosini, broadcast on Vatican Radio

Don Fabio’s reflection follows the Gospel reading ...

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GOSPEL: John 20:1-9

It was very early on the first day of the week and still dark, when Mary of Magdala came to the tomb. She saw that the stone had been moved away from the tomb and came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved. ‘They have taken the Lord out of the tomb’ she said ‘and we don’t know where they have put him.’

So Peter set out with the other disciple to go to the tomb. They ran together, but the other disciple, running faster than Peter, reached the tomb first; he bent down and saw the linen cloths lying on the ground, but did not go in. Simon Peter who was following now came up, went right into the tomb, saw the linen cloths on the ground, and also the cloth that had been over his head; this was not with the linen cloths but rolled up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple who had reached the tomb first also went in; he saw and he believed. Till this moment they had failed to understand the teaching of scripture, that he must rise from the dead.

The Gospel of the Lord: Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ

Kieran’s summary . . . Easter challenges us to reflect on the meaning of the empty tomb. The tomb points beyond the suffering and death that preceded the burial. Suffering and death do not have the final say. In our everyday lives, whenever we are confronted by sin, failure, or disappointment, let us look to the empty tomb and open ourselves to what God can bring out of the tomb of our existence. If God is to bring new life to the tomb of my existence, then I must reflect on the empty tomb of Jesus and contemplate what it signifies, opening myself to the power of the resurrection in my life! The Christian life is not a moral or rational system. I cannot live as a Christian simply by getting my life in order and following moral principles. We are called to live the life of the child of God, and only the Father can nourish that life in me, just as he brought Jesus out of the tomb. When I try to rely on myself, my existence is like a tomb. Only the action of God can empty the tomb and bring me to new life.

Easter challenges us to reflect on the empty tomb. The tomb points beyond the suffering and death that preceded the burial. In our everyday lives, whenever we are confronted by sin, failure, disappointment, let us look to the tomb and open ourselves to what God can bring out of the tomb of our existence.

The Gospel recounts the discovery of the empty tomb. Let us consider this passage in the light of the first reading for Sunday, in which St Peter describes the resurrection of Christ to the centurion, Cornelius. The structure of Peter’s discourse is very simple: he first describes the events from the life of Jesus up to his crucifixion and death – this is the part of the story that everyone knows. But then Peter goes on to say that the story does not end here. In the Gospel, we have a similar situation. The disciples are immersed in what they have experienced – the death of Jesus and his placing in the tomb. But the Easter announcement also includes what happened afterwards, that which goes beyond what we know or can experience. The beautiful story of Jesus, like all human stories, seems to have come to an end, like all human stories. However, Peter is announcing that beyond this purely human aspect there is something else. The proclamation of the resurrection becomes the key for understanding the Christian faith, and it cannot be otherwise. The Christian experience is that of being subject to suffering and death, but also being subject to that which God accomplishes through it all. The empty tomb testifies to this wonderful fact.

The Christian life is not a moral or rational system. I cannot live as a Christian simply by following moral principles. It is the life of the child of God that I must lead, and only the Father can nourish that life in me. By myself I am a tomb. Only the action of God can empty the tomb and bring new life

It is not possible to construct a Christianity based solely on rationality, or on the purely biological or moral aspects of life. Christianity is based on the resurrection, on that which goes beyond our immediate experience. Christianity, after all, is based on faith in the work of God, a work that goes beyond human works. Certainly, we ought to use our rational faculties to explain that which can be explained. But the Christian life goes beyond rationality or mere plausibility. Christianity, ultimately, is based on the power of God. It is not merely a moral system that sets down rational principles for action: it is the power of God at work in our lives. The Son of Man unites his divine nature with our human nature, rendering it possible for us to become children of God. To become God’s child presupposes the action of God in us. I cannot live the Christian life by simply getting my act together and ordering my existence according to certain principles. The Christian life is something that I simply cannot live using my own capacities. It is a life that only the heavenly Father can bestow on me. When we are confronted with illness, crises, or marital breakdown, our responses will only produce mediocre solutions if we attempt them on our own terms. Only the work of God can uncover the resurrection in our lives. When we are destroyed by our own sins, the pardon and mercy of God is capable of bringing new and dramatic life to us. In fact, after the resurrection, the disciples proclaim the forgiveness of sins, the true resolution of the black hole of human absurdity.

If God is to bring new life to the tomb of my existence, then I must reflect on the empty tomb of Jesus and contemplate what it signifies, opening myself to the power of the resurrection in my life

This Sunday, and every Sunday of the year, the power of God is proclaimed. What God can do with our sins, our sufferings, our death! God is the one who goes beyond. Death is not a full stop but a comma – and beyond there is God. We must be open to this fact of the resurrection and adhere to it with our consent. We must have faith in what the empty tomb signifies – the manner in which God can transcend what seems negative and final. All these things – the failures, the limits, the dead ends – must be consigned over to God. The Lord knows how to bring life from death. He can lead us out of every tomb that we find ourselves in. This is what we proclaim at Easter: God goes beyond what we can accomplish or attain.