April 17, 2022; Easter Sunday (Year C)

 

Readings: Acts 10:44, 37-43; Col. 3:1-4; Lk. 24:1-12

 

Christ’s Resurrection is Our Life

1.      On this day of the resurrection, we recall the words of Jesus: “That he must go to Jerusalem and suffer greatly from the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed and on the third day be raised.” (Mt.16:21). It was strange to the apostles then, but now they believe him. Christ has indeed risen. The Catechism of the Catholic Church reminds us that: “To be a witness of Christ is to be a “witness to his Resurrection,” to “have eaten and drunk with him after he rose from the dead.” Encounters with the risen Christ characterize the Christian hope of resurrection. We shall rise like Christ, with him, and through him.”(CCC. 995). God will raise our mortal bodies and make them like his own in glory when we die. 

 

2.      The resurrection of Christ demonstrates that we are Easter people living in a Good Friday world. The activity of Good Friday is still very much with us. We are broken and weak, short-tempered, stubborn, and angry; we backbite and betray our friends. The resurrection of Christ assures us that God loves us and that Christ has conquered our weaknesses and death. Yes, to every Good Friday, there is Easter Sunday. To every failure, there is strength in the risen Lord. Every hurt and wrongdoing we forgive is proof of the resurrection. We attest to our faith in the risen Lord when we give to charity or console the bereaved, show compassion and mercy, visit the sick, be kind to the downtrodden. We may be weak, but our risen Lord is strong. We are Easter people and so must sing alleluia to God. According to St. Paul, “If then you were raised with Christ, seek what is above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.” (Col. 3:1). Because He lives, we can see him tomorrow! “He will change our lowly body to conform with his glorified body by the power that enables him to bring all things into subjection to himself.” (Philippians 3:21). The resurrection changed the apostles; it can also change us if we believe in Christ. The resurrection of Christ is an invitation for us to share in his life. Let us rejoice that Christ is risen. Amen

 

                                    Rev. Augustine Etemma Inwang, MSP