Homily for the Week of April 12, 2009

EASTER VIGIL , 2009
First Reading: Acts 10:34a, 37-43
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 118:1-2, 16-17, 22-23
Romans 6: 3-11
Gospel: John 20:1-9
Over the past few days those of us who have participated in the last events in the life of Jesus may feel that they have been in a Walmart Super Center. We have had a variety of blessings and long readings from the Bible, some in which you participated. But the ceremony ends with Easter and the Resurrection of Jesus from a borrowed grave provided by Joseph of Arimathea. But we have skeptics concerning all of these events. Some of you may fit that category. It is something of a tradition for magazines and newspapers to run articles about the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ in the weeks leading up to Easter. Each year there are more and more attempts to discredit these events. This year popular news magazines like Time and Newsweek have search out those who do not believe in Jesus to tell us that all of this a fake -- and religious is also a fake.
Some argue the Resurrection never took place. Down through time there have been a number of arguments made about what really happened on that Sunday some 2,000 years ago. There are four basic theories used to explain away the Resurrection.
The first is that a conspiracy existed to misrepresent what transpired in the aftermath of Jesus' death. The most ancient variation of this argument was concocted by the chief priests upon discovering the empty tomb: the body of Jesus was stolen by his disciples.
The second is that the apostles and other disciples experienced the world's most dramatic group hallucination. Convinced that they had seen the impossible, they set out to convince the world of the same.
Another argument is that Jesus, tortured and exhausted, had not died, but had only passed out for a time until he was revived by his followers.
The final argument and probably the most popular is that the Resurrection is a myth.
There are, of course, many problems with each theory. For example, how would a group of frightened fisherman overwhelm Roman guards and move away a huge stone? And why would they fearlessly proclaim Christ's resurrection and then accept martyrdom, despite knowing Jesus was actually dead? How is it that hundreds of people experienced the same hallucination? How would Jesus, who was ripped to shreds and crucified, appear shortly thereafter as glorious in appearance?
The story of the two disciples journeying to Emmaus emphasizes how belief in the Resurrection is not a matter of mere reason or facts, but of a real encounter with the Risen Lord. Having walked and talked at length with Jesus, they still did not recognize him. But when he took bread and blessed it and gave it to them, their "eyes were opened and they recognized him."
The basic form of Christian faith is not: I believe something, but I believe you. It's not that faith is unreasonable; rather, it is finally, in the end, above and beyond reason, although never contrary to reason. It is ultimately an act of will and love. We believe, because we love.
Jesus did something the world had never seen. He totally emptied himself of his own needs. He lived completely for others. He died for others. He never allowed selfishness to have any part of his existence. This lifestyle resulted in his death at the hands of those who could not bear his holiness.
Immortality. That's what Easter is about. Immortality was granted through the death of Christ to those who lived the Life of Christ. The symbol of this eternal life is the sacrament of Baptism. When we are baptized, we die. Symbolically, we drown. When water is poured over our heads, the symbol is that we die to a world without the Lord, and, rising out of the water, out of death, out of the tomb, we live in a world permeated with the reality of the spiritual. We die to a pagan world of selfishness. We live in a Christian world of sacrifice. That is why being a Catholic is not always easy. Being a Catholic means living with a completely different view of life than that of the world around us.
The Easter candle which is the center of our Easter celebration is a symbol of our life in Jesus. The candle will be used at all Baptisms and Funerals as a symbol that we have begun a new life that will lead to everlasting life. We now have the opportunity to remind ourselves again of what happened the day we were Baptized, as we are now invited to state our faith publicly.