Practical meaning of Easter
Listening to the Spirit
“Sing, Daughter Zion;
shout aloud, Israel!
Be glad and rejoice with all your heart,
Daughter Jerusalem!
The Lord has taken away your punishment,
he has turned back your enemy.
The Lord, the King of Israel, is with you;
never again will you fear any harm.
On that day
they will say to Jerusalem,
Do not fear, Zion;
do not let your hands hang limp.
The Lord your God is with you,
the Mighty Warrior who saves.
He will take great delight in you;
in his love he will no longer rebuke you,
but will rejoice over you with singing.”
(Zephaniah 3: 14-17)
Listening to the Word
On the first day of the week, Mary of Magdala came to the tomb early in the morning, while it was still dark, and saw the stone removed from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them, “They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we don’t know where they put him.” So Peter and the other disciple went out and came to the tomb. They both ran, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter and arrived at the tomb first; he bent down and saw the burial clothes there, but did not go in. When Simon Peter arrived after him, he went into the tomb and saw the burial cloths there, and the cloth that had covered his head, not with the burial cloths but rolled up in a separate place. Then the other disciple also went in, the one who had arrived at the tomb first, and he saw and believed. For they did not yet understand the Scripture that he had to rise from the dead.
Reflection
During the Siete Palabras in Sitio Militar, I heard true-to-life stories of people who have lived Good Friday, Holy Saturday, and Easter Sunday in their lives. Good Fridays represent the days of fear and pain. Holy Saturdays are the days of confusion and grief. Easter Sundays are the days of freedom and joy. We all go through those “three days” in our lives. The important lesson for us is to rely on the power of God. Bishop Fulton Sheen once said: “Unless there is Good Friday in your life, there can be no Easter Sunday.” If God can resurrect a dead body, He can also resurrect dead friendships, dead marriages, dead dreams, dead careers, dead enthusiasm in the ministry, and many more. The answer to these “deaths” is not money, but a person who is named Jesus Christ. Jesus once introduced himself as “I am the resurrection and life”. Therefore, each day can be an Easter.
As Kate McGahan said: “The very first Easter taught us is this: that life never ends and love never dies”. Easter Sunday is the day that reminds us that death is not the end of the story and that death has no final word. This blessed day assures us that problems have an expiration date. In Tagalog we say, “walang forever na problema”; “hindi araw-araw Biyernes santo” and “may muling pagkabuhay”. One sharer in the Siete palabras last Friday uttered, “I have experienced the worst days in my life, and, in particular in my married life but I need to hang on to the promises of Jesus because he can turn crucifixion into resurrection”. Today’s gospel tells us that Mary of Magdala saw the stone removed from the tomb. Easter is all about removing the stone from the tomb. It is about rolling back the stone and opening the door of our life to Christ.
Any day can be a day of resurrection when we rely on the power of Jesus. Fr. Nelson Orqueta once said: “Each time we love again after having our love rejected, we share in the power of the resurrection. Each time we trust again after having our trust betrayed, we share in the power of the resurrection. Each time we hope again after having our hope shattered, we share in the power of the resurrection. Each time we pick up the pieces, wipe our tears, face the sun, and start again, we share in the power of the resurrection. Wherever and whenever there is this power that cannot be frustrated, we have the resurrection event happening again.”
Happy Easter everyone!
Gospel Reflections
Allowing Jesus to Change Us
Who Is Jesus for Me? From Encounter to Mission
