"Easter Witness" Apr 9, 2021

Happy Easter to you my dear friends in Christ! This past year has been challenging as we have experienced life far from normal. We live in hopeful expectation that we are getting close to being on the other side of this pandemic. Certainly, the past year will be something we remember for a very long time. I suspect that we have learned a lot. We have learned a lot about ourselves in the midst of crisis, all the challenges we have had to face; we have seen the impact this pandemic has had locally, nationally, and of course globally. We have experienced isolation and separation; many have been alone and afraid. Quarantine and masks have been the reality of life for so long. But we have a vaccine to help us get to the other side. We thank the Lord for this gift. And now we have arrived at the great celebration of the Octave of Easter – Christ Jesus has been raised from the dead. The tomb is empty. He has risen!

For more than 2000 years, this truth has been affirmed and re-affirmed as the bedrock of our faith. For people of faith, the empty tomb reveals the triumph of Jesus over sin and death. This is the triumph for all mankind; we have all been offered salvation by the merciful providence of a good and gracious God who sent His Son for just this purpose; Jesus fulfilled His mission on the Cross and now is risen from the dead. I would suspect that the majority of those who are reading this reflection accept this and are thankful for what this means for us as believers. But perhaps some are a bit skeptical; some may be struggling to believe. Some are wavering … others ambivalent. 

No matter where you are on this spectrum of faith, I assure you that because of what God has done for us in Christ Jesus, this reality of His love for each and every one of us can never be extinguished. This is the truth that makes us truly free: JESUS CHRIST IS RISEN. HE IS TRULY RISEN. ALLELUIA! In the Gospel, the apostle John saw the burial cloths and believed. Mary Magdalene initially thought His body had been stolen. However, we know from the Gospel account that He is most certainly not in the tomb. And in a figurative way, we too, like those disciples, stand before the empty tomb as we celebrate the Easter season. 

The empty tomb is a bold proclamation of Christ’s victory over sin and death. If we believe, then Easter is proof that Jesus will never abandon us. The empty tomb proclaims that the “love of God” is stronger than evil and death itself; it means that the love of God can transform our lives and bring about new life in our hearts – a new springtime. The love of God can do this! And the Lord desires to do this for us individually and as a Church family … as a country and as a world!  His love can transform anything and everything for those who believe.

The story of Resurrection is our story. While Peter and the apostles were the first witnesses, the mission to witness to Jesus is not for the apostles and for the bishops, priests, and deacons alone. It belongs to us all who profess our faith in Jesus’ victory over sin and death. We too are the witnesses in our own day. And how much does this world need witnesses to the truth of Jesus Christ! How much do we need ourselves to be ever more credible witnesses to those truths by which we are called to live in our family, parish, community, nation, and world.

Our world is suffering in many ways. We are still in a pandemic. Our country is divided and polarized. This polarization has become so intense that many people no longer trust anyone with a differing perspective. We are losing all sense of human dignity. And this is why the world needs credible, spirit-filled disciples who give courageous witness to the truth of Easter – that Jesus was raised from the dead and the Easter story has the power to heal us, to heal our nation, to heal our world.

The world may seem quite dark right now. But thanks to the resurrection of Jesus Christ, we know quite clearly how much God loves us. And no, we were not there on that first Easter morning, with Mary Magdalene, Peter and John, peering into the empty tomb and seeing signs of the resurrection. But we are here now as beneficiaries of the life and love that emerges from Christ’s death. Let us all be those spirit-filled disciples who give courageous witness to this truth, bringing a hope that comes from the heart of God and is opened for us by Christ’s resurrection.

We began the season of Lent walking with St. Joseph. As we continue our celebration of the Easter season, let us implore his powerful help and intercession. His whole life’s mission was to care for Mary and our Redeemer. There was nothing more important to him, and today, there is nothing more important to him than to provide protection, guidance, and support as our spiritual father. His deepest desire is to lead us and our world to Jesus. Let us go to him without delay so that the Easter message will come alive. Be assured of my prayers for each of you as we celebrate this Easter miracle.

Rev. Fr. Robert T. Cooper, Pastor
Divine Mercy Parish and St. Elizabeth Ann Seton School