Easter Sunday homily
Fr O’Grady
April 5, 2015
The children’s Easter play was in stage of preparation. The director supervising the casting
wanted to be sure that each child would be comfortable in his/her assigned role. Little Tommy
was offered a speaking part this year since he had same role past two years when he played the
stone in front of the tomb in which Jesus as buried. When asked why he wanted that same part
again he said: “ I wanted to play that part of the stone again because it felt so good to roll over
and let Jesus out of the tomb”..
From words of children come great truths… For is not Easter about just this… TO LET JESUS OUT
OF THE TOMB!.
But why must this Jesus come out of the tomb into our world? Why do we need this
Resurrected Jesus? Why do we need this hope and light?
At the Easter vigil Mass Saturday night we began the Mass in darkness of the church. an d then
the Easter candle was lit and it is amazing that one little flame from one candle in a sense
drives out the total darkness of that night.
So too, it is the hope that only Jesus can give and who can drive out the darkness that afflicts
so many of our lives.
There is a story told about an artist who created a new type of Easter card.
The front cover looked like a mistake even though it said Happy Easter written over the picture
of the manger scene with young shepherds bowing down. But then as you opened the card
was the picture of the open and empty tomb of Easter with the same shepherds now 30 years
older peering into the tomb…with Angel quoted from today’s gospel. “WHAT ARE YOU
LOOKING FOR?..HE IS NOT HERE HE IS RISEN”.
Now these shepherds were 30 years older and like so many of us in those adult years had
experienced the ups and downs of life ; maybe the joys of marriage or its disappointments.
maybe the healthy robust days or illnesses that hurt their lives; maybe the children who did
well or the children who fell by wayside. Maybe the moments of uplifting prayer life or the
days when God seemed far away and distant. Life does have away of reminding us we are not
in charge.
In any case, they came in this picture to the tomb looking for meaning, hope, vision and
peace that they could not find in the world and it was only the person, the message and the
power of the Lord himself that would give true meaning and lasting peace.
WHAT ABOUT YOU AND ME?
Easter invites you and me to do the same.
What kind of year has it been for you?
Have you felt the pain of losing a loved one?
Have you experienced the hurt of a marriage or relationship?
Have you dealt with ongoing illness and pain?
Have you been on the edge with job and finances?
Have you been met with hostility, disappointment and tension at work and in family?
Are you trying to take care now of children and at same time aging parents?
Are we like the shepherds looking for meaning, inner peace, the joy of the gospel and can’t
find it anywhere but in this Jesus whom little Tommy in his play rolled aside the stone so Jesus
can from out of the tomb to be with you and me.
How important then it is this Easter to let Jesus come from the tomb in to our own everyday
lives.
BUT NOW THETASK AHEAD OF US IS TO KEEP THIS JESUS ALIVE IN OUR WORLD, HEARTS AND
FAMILIES.
There was an old Gospel music song called “Glory Train” and the message from the lyrics of this
song is that we all have to get on that Glory Train and the lyrics go like this:
I want to ride that Glory train
I want to ride that Glory train
Yes all I want to do when my life on earth is through
Is to get aboard and ride that Glory Train.
Hear the thunder of the engine get aboard her if you can
For the final destination is that far off promised land.
Where the Master will be waiting in His home way above
Just to fill our hearts with gladness and His great eternal love
When you get down to that station and the train’s about to leave
You be sure to have a ticket if you really do believe
That the Master’s waiting for you in His home way above
Just to fill our hearts with gladness and His great eternal love.
But we all have to get a ticket and the ticket is not free. As Jesus came from tomb he set
provided the ticket though the Church.
This Easter as we roll the stone away from the Tomb and allow Jesus to come forth, may we
also earn that ticket by living out our faith in the church and in the values and conviction of
everyday lives.
It is this and only this that will make Easter real and meaningful so it will not just be a once a
year celebration but one that will impact our lives each and everyday.
And now let me end by showing you what this ticket looks like to the Glory Train… a ticket that
will allow us to live out the meaning of Easter and a ticket that will make sure Jesus is alive in
our lives each and everyday.
This Ticket is found on inside cover of Missalette. So get on that Gory train as we read and pray
the Dynamic Catholic Prayer.
So….ALL ABOARD!!