Easter Sunday
March 27, 2016
10 AM Liturgy
J.A. Loftus, S.J.
Wouldn’t it be nice if Easter sermons could be simple, direct,
and, of course, short and to the point? That would be nice. Of
course, that would presume that we knew exactly what we were
talking about. And that we knew that the Resurrection of Jesus of
Nazareth was itself simple, direct and to the point of easy
comprehension. I’m afraid, however, it is not any of those things.
Don’t just take my word for it. Listen to a few far more
erudite and learned theologians talk about resurrection. One of
the greater theological luminaries of our time was none other than
Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI. He said this, “Anyone approaching the
resurrection accounts in the belief that he knows what rising from
the dead means will inevitably misunderstand those accounts and
will then dismiss them as meaningless (Jesus of Nazareth, Part Two,
Holy Week). How about noted scripture scholar Fr. Raymond
Brown, S.S. who wrote the magisterial account called The Death of
the Messiah? He said, “it is nearly impossible to talk for long about
the resurrection without falling into heresy.”
Believe me, I could go on quoting theologians all day.
Unfortunately none of their cautions seem to bother many
preachers at all. None of us knows what really happened at
daybreak on that awesome Sunday morning. There were no
eyewitnesses. No one to say what really happened. There is no
record of what Jesus himself experienced or felt that day. Although
in my imagination, he must have been almost deliriously happy,
peaceful and grateful to his Father, the God of the Eternal Promise.
And the calm result of Jesus’ own experience is seen in the words
he speaks most often in every one of the post-resurrection stories:
Peace! Be at peace! Do not be afraid!
It seems Easter is easier to experience than it is to describe.
It is a Promise fulfilled, and fulfilled by God. It is God’s day, God’s
event, and God’s plan.
And yet in the gospel versions, everyone trembles and is
frightened. In today’s gospel we see Mary, Peter and John running
back and forth from the empty tomb. In Luke’s versions (read last
night at the Great Vigil), we find a group of stunned women shaking
in their amazement. They are all shaking in grief. And soon they
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will be shaking for joy. The Resurrection experience is a scary
thing precisely because it seems so incredible.
We do know that his tomb was found empty. And we know
that few seriously suggested that his body had been stolen. We do
know that it is not just Jesus’ “soul” that has somehow become
immortal. No, he still has a body, a strange one, but a real one. It’s
actually his old body just somehow “glorified,” as St. Paul tells us.
And he begins to “appear” to people, to friends and disciples. Again
St. Paul says, “He appeared to about 500 others.” He sometimes
walks through walls and locked doors. And his disciples say
constantly (in my more modern phrasing), “You couldn’t make this
stuff up!” This is all really strange—but wonderful.
Someone didn’t just die and then come back to life. Someone
shattered death itself. And did it for all of us, he says. What an
experience!
And then the first strange effect is felt. These friends of Jesus
—almost all of whom rejected Jesus or fled from the scene when his
end was coming—are now feeling so strangely empowered. They
become as fierce an army of followers as anyone in human history
can recall. They spread the story of who Jesus is throughout the
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whole world—fearlessly and with unbelievable passion. And today,
we stand on their shoulders.
Those first disciples come to realize that this extraordinary
event is not to be understood at all, but merely celebrated and
cherished as God’s continuing Promise to us all. Hence, they simply
sang a lot. They sang Alleluia!
The Jesuit poet Gerard Manley Hopkins speaks of Easter as a
verb. God is Eastering in all creation—beginning with Jesus of
Nazareth. When God Easters, it is about bunnies, and spring, and
flowers, and little chicks and chocolate candies. When God Easters,
it is about life itself. When God Easters, the world changes—
whether we choose to see it or not!
So by all means, enjoy all the signs of life within and around
you. Enjoy the experience. And let God continue to Easter in you!
Alleluia!
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