EEEAS EASTER SEASON YEAR C
Easter Vigil [Lk
24:1-12]
16.04.2022
The
Resurrection of Jesus
Readings: OT (1) Gen 1:1-2:2 (2) Gen 22:1-18 (3) Ex 14:15-15:1 (4) Is 54:5-14 (5) Is 55:1-11 (6) Bar 3;9-15.32-4:4 (7) Ez 36:16-28; NT (8) Rom 6:3-11
1. Theme in brief:
Meeting
the Risen Lord among the living.
2. Focus Statement:
As Jesus
is risen, now he is not found among the dead, but among the living; hence, we
have to look for him beyond the tomb, and meet him in faith in all situations
and among all people.
3.
Explanation of the text
Today’s gospel tells us
that Mary Magdalene and other women disciples of Jesus had gone to the tomb with
the spices they had prepared, understandably to anoint Jesus’ body as a sign of love, devotion,
and respect (24:1). When he died, they could not pay their tribute to the body of the Person
whom they loved ardently by performing the last rites of anointing the body
with spices as per Jewish custom. Since the Jewish Sabbath had already begun
soon after Jesus’ burial, the regulations of the Sabbath forbade such work. This
gospel text shows how the fervent and faithful love of the holy women even after his
death was rewarded with the joyful news given
by “two men in dazzling clothes” (presumably angels, 24:4) that he has risen
(24:5). Luke says that they had gone to the tomb on “the first day of the week”
(that is, Sunday as per Jewish calendar) at early dawn (24:1). [Hence Sunday
became the Day
of the (Risen) Lord and Sabbath day for the Christian community,
whereas for the Jews the Sabbath was the last day of the week or the seventh
day (Saturday).]
When the holy women reached the
tomb of Jesus they were perplexed to find the stone rolled
away
from the tomb and the body of Jesus missing (24:2-3). The rolling away of the
stone symbolizes the victory of Jesus over the forces
of death.
By his resurrection, Jesus has overcome death and has opened up an eternal
destiny
beyond their physical death for those who believe in him. The angel of the Lord
said to the women: “Why do you
look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen” (24:5). "He"
– that is, Jesus who lived in Nazareth, walked in a limited region of Palestine,
taught the new Law, suffered under Pontius Pilate, died a shameful death on a
cross and buried in this tomb is not "here." Because he is risen from
the dead, now he is no more limited or confined to the place where they laid him,
that is, to the place of his burial or to the space of his earthly life. Now he can
break all barriers, walls, limitations and boundaries established by
human beings and continue to save anyone who believes in his name.
Hence, the women were told by the
angels that they were searching for him in the wrong
place,
among the dead, as if he was still dead; or in a limited space, as if he was confined
only to the place where they buried him (24:5). Since he is risen, now he is a living
reality,
and they can meet him anywhere and in any situation through
faith. The fact that Jesus is not here in the tomb (24:5) can be physically
verified by the women because it is empty, but the fact that he has risen can
be believed only in faith. Their bowing down of heads may symbolize their
attempt to fix their minds only on physical vision.
The women become the first witnesses and proclaimers of faith in the
resurrection of Christ (24:9). In the beginning the eleven apostles find the
news about Jesus’ resurrection incredible and dismiss it as an “idle tale”
(24:11) or as they say in modern English ‘the old wives’ tale’. As Mary said in
her Magnificat, truly the powerful apostles are brought down from their thrones
and the lowly women are lifted up (Lk 1:52).
4.
Application to life
Tonight we have
gathered here to proclaim that Jesus is truly risen; hence he truly lives.
Our Christian life or discipleship is a constant search for the Risen Lord.
Tonight’s gospel text cautions us not to look or search for him among the dead
or not to consider him as though he were a corpse still to be found in the tomb.
After his resurrection, Jesus is not among the dead, but he is among the living.
Hence, in order to find him, just as the women were told by the angels, we
should not limit
our search to the tomb or only to one place or situation. Nor should we limit
our search for him and the need to find him only to this or any other place of
worship (church), prayer, liturgy, or the limited space of our selfish desires. The gospel text
invites us to look for or seek the Risen Lord away from the tomb in all
situations of our life – in our joys and sorrows, daily problems and struggles,
crises, calamities, trials, risks, disappointments and frustrations. We have to
seek him in faith and discover him in the midst of our lives. We
have to recognise him as he speaks to us in the Scriptures and comes to us as
our spiritual food in the Eucharist.
If we believe that Jesus is alive,
for us he is not just a hero or a great historical figure, but
a living presence. His presence cannot be reduced merely to the pages
of the Bible or any religious book, or a statue in a church, or to a tabernacle.
He is no more in the tomb; he is a living reality. Now we are not following just an
idea or ideology, a dream or an imagination, but a Living Person. It is not just enough
to study him or know him theoretically, but because he lives, we can meet him in faith in all
situations. Yes, if we really believe this, we shall feel his presence as he
walks with us on our mountains of joy and in our valleys
of tears,
in our hardships, in our doubts and in all that happens to us.
Because Jesus lives, and if we firmly
believe in his living presence, we can experience his peace in the midst of our
disturbed and anxious minds, his providence in our deprivation, his support in
our weakness and his outstretched arms in our fall and failures. Because he
lives, we merely do not teach lessons from the life of a Great Teacher; we
proclaim and testify to the world what we have ‘seen’ or experienced when
we are touched by his powerful presence in the midst of our life-situations
(cf. 1 Jn 1:1-2). He is in our Bethlehems; he is in our Gethsemanes; he is in
our Golgothas; he is on our
From the testimony of the resurrection
given by the devout women, we come to know that those who ‘seek’ Jesus with love,
devotion and faith, encounter him in impossible situations, even in
death. The faithful love of the women disciples is a great inspiration to all of us not to
give up our good initiatives/ welfare activities/ service when we meet hurdles/
opposition/ discouragement. These women prove the old traditional saying: “Two
men looked through the prison bars; one saw mud, the other stars.” When the
rest of them gave up, the women remained faithful, hoping something good
against all hopes. When others saw mud, they looked beyond it by remaining
faithful to their Master.
As the women initially responded
to the sight of empty tomb by bowing their faces to the ground, if our gaze is fixed only on the tomb, that is exclusively
on material things and worldly concerns, and if we fail to see him
beyond the ‘tomb’ built by our selfishness and attachment to these things, then
he is no more living for us. If we live exclusively for money, higher and
higher status, more and more prestige, greater and greater income, and fail to
see anything beyond this ‘tomb,’ then we are dead, that is, just existing
rather than truly living. If we have no aim or cause to live and die for, then
we die several times before we really die. Yes, the tomb is empty; we will not find him
there. We will not find him where forces of death are at work; where a culture
of death, violence and ‘might-is-right’ policy rules. We will not find him
where greed, corruption and dishonesty rule. Nor will we find him only in ‘
Today’s gospel invites us to look
for the presence of the Risen Lord speciality among the marginalized people in our
globalized and pluralistic world. We have to ‘seek’ him in a more committed
manner among the poor, the sick, the underprivileged, the deprived, the
suffering and the downtrodden and make the Risen Lord’s face of mercy shine on
them by doing works of mercy for such people. He wants that we
show a preferential love for the poor and the marginalized
by our service to them. We make his presence active and striking when we
continue his mission to bring life to those who are in death-like
situations. By doing works of mercy for the underprivileged and the downtrodden
we bring them the joy of the resurrection. Then “the tender
mercy
of our God” will break upon those who “sit in darkness and in the shadow
of death”
(Lk 1:78-79).
The message of Easter is the
message of God’s mercy winning a victory over the forces of hatred, intolerance and violence. There forces are the
forces of darkness and death. The question is whether we are
and shall remain faithful to his mission of doing works of mercy in the midst of
darkness and shadows of death. It is through our deeds of mercy done to the
least ones, the dawn of the resurrection will break upon them (Lk 1:78).
Those who think that it is pointless to live and pointless
to die with hope are already dead. For them the stone blocking the tomb is not yet
rolled away. Besides, our lack of faith, sin or hardheartedness and
self-centredness could be considered as the stones that block our vision of the
Risen Lord. Today’s gospel invites us to roll away these obstructing
stones. If we believe that Jesus is really living, others can notice it in our lives.
After all, the fact of the resurrection was established by the effect it had on
the lives of the apostles. They were totally transformed from cowardice to
courageous witnesses. Do people notice the traces of Christ’s living
presence in our conduct?-
5. Response to God's Word
Do we seek the Risen Lord in all
situations? Do we have faith enough to recognize the presence of the Risen
Lord? Do we feel that Jesus is risen in us and in the world we live? What are
the effects of Jesus’ living presence on our life and behaviour? By what signs
we can know that Jesus is really living and active in our homes, neighbourhood
and the Church? Have we locked up Jesus in our narrow and selfish world? Do we
‘see’ Jesus among the poor and the marginalized? Do we allow the Easter Light
to dispel the darkness of sin, and baptismal water to cleanse us from evil?
What are forces of death that rule our life, over which we need to win a
victory with the power of the Risen Lord?
6. A prayer
Risen Lord, open the
eyes of our faith that we may seek you and discover your presence in the midst
of our lives – its problems, trials, struggles, joys and sorrows. Roll away the
obstructing stones which block our vision beyond the limited space of our selfish
desires. Grant that we may recognise you as you speak to us in the Scriptures
and come to us as our spiritual food in the Eucharist. Walk with us Lord, in our
valley of tears, in our hardships, in our doubts and in all that happens to us.
May we experience your support in our weaknesses and your outstretched arms in
our fall and failures. Amen.
EEEAS
EASTER SEASON
YEAR C
Easter Vigil [Lk
24:1-12]
16.04.2022
The
Resurrection of Jesus
Readings: OT (1) Gen 1:1-2:2 (2) Gen 22:1-18 (3) Ex 14:15-15:1 (4) Is 54:5-14 (5) Is 55:1-11 (6) Bar 3;9-15.32-4:4 (7) Ez 36:16-28; NT (8) Rom 6:3-11
1. Theme in brief:
Meeting
the Risen Lord among the living.
2. Focus Statement:
As Jesus
is risen, now he is not found among the dead, but among the living; hence, we
have to look for him beyond the tomb, and meet him in faith in all situations
and among all people.
3.
Explanation of the text
Today’s gospel tells us
that Mary Magdalene and other women disciples of Jesus had gone to the tomb with
the spices they had prepared, understandably to anoint Jesus’ body as a sign of love, devotion,
and respect (24:1). When he died, they could not pay their tribute to the body of the Person
whom they loved ardently by performing the last rites of anointing the body
with spices as per Jewish custom. Since the Jewish Sabbath had already begun
soon after Jesus’ burial, the regulations of the Sabbath forbade such work. This
gospel text shows how the fervent and faithful love of the holy women even after his
death was rewarded with the joyful news given
by “two men in dazzling clothes” (presumably angels, 24:4) that he has risen
(24:5). Luke says that they had gone to the tomb on “the first day of the week”
(that is, Sunday as per Jewish calendar) at early dawn (24:1). [Hence Sunday
became the Day
of the (Risen) Lord and Sabbath day for the Christian community,
whereas for the Jews the Sabbath was the last day of the week or the seventh
day (Saturday).]
When the holy women reached the
tomb of Jesus they were perplexed to find the stone rolled
away
from the tomb and the body of Jesus missing (24:2-3). The rolling away of the
stone symbolizes the victory of Jesus over the forces
of death.
By his resurrection, Jesus has overcome death and has opened up an eternal
destiny
beyond their physical death for those who believe in him. The angel of the Lord
said to the women: “Why do you
look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen” (24:5). "He"
– that is, Jesus who lived in Nazareth, walked in a limited region of Palestine,
taught the new Law, suffered under Pontius Pilate, died a shameful death on a
cross and buried in this tomb is not "here." Because he is risen from
the dead, now he is no more limited or confined to the place where they laid him,
that is, to the place of his burial or to the space of his earthly life. Now he can
break all barriers, walls, limitations and boundaries established by
human beings and continue to save anyone who believes in his name.
Hence, the women were told by the
angels that they were searching for him in the wrong
place,
among the dead, as if he was still dead; or in a limited space, as if he was confined
only to the place where they buried him (24:5). Since he is risen, now he is a living
reality,
and they can meet him anywhere and in any situation through
faith. The fact that Jesus is not here in the tomb (24:5) can be physically
verified by the women because it is empty, but the fact that he has risen can
be believed only in faith. Their bowing down of heads may symbolize their
attempt to fix their minds only on physical vision.
The women become the first witnesses and proclaimers of faith in the
resurrection of Christ (24:9). In the beginning the eleven apostles find the
news about Jesus’ resurrection incredible and dismiss it as an “idle tale”
(24:11) or as they say in modern English ‘the old wives’ tale’. As Mary said in
her Magnificat, truly the powerful apostles are brought down from their thrones
and the lowly women are lifted up (Lk 1:52).
4.
Application to life
Tonight we have
gathered here to proclaim that Jesus is truly risen; hence he truly lives.
Our Christian life or discipleship is a constant search for the Risen Lord.
Tonight’s gospel text cautions us not to look or search for him among the dead
or not to consider him as though he were a corpse still to be found in the tomb.
After his resurrection, Jesus is not among the dead, but he is among the living.
Hence, in order to find him, just as the women were told by the angels, we
should not limit
our search to the tomb or only to one place or situation. Nor should we limit
our search for him and the need to find him only to this or any other place of
worship (church), prayer, liturgy, or the limited space of our selfish desires. The gospel text
invites us to look for or seek the Risen Lord away from the tomb in all
situations of our life – in our joys and sorrows, daily problems and struggles,
crises, calamities, trials, risks, disappointments and frustrations. We have to
seek him in faith and discover him in the midst of our lives. We
have to recognise him as he speaks to us in the Scriptures and comes to us as
our spiritual food in the Eucharist.
If we believe that Jesus is alive,
for us he is not just a hero or a great historical figure, but
a living presence. His presence cannot be reduced merely to the pages
of the Bible or any religious book, or a statue in a church, or to a tabernacle.
He is no more in the tomb; he is a living reality. Now we are not following just an
idea or ideology, a dream or an imagination, but a Living Person. It is not just enough
to study him or know him theoretically, but because he lives, we can meet him in faith in all
situations. Yes, if we really believe this, we shall feel his presence as he
walks with us on our mountains of joy and in our valleys
of tears,
in our hardships, in our doubts and in all that happens to us.
Because Jesus lives, and if we firmly
believe in his living presence, we can experience his peace in the midst of our
disturbed and anxious minds, his providence in our deprivation, his support in
our weakness and his outstretched arms in our fall and failures. Because he
lives, we merely do not teach lessons from the life of a Great Teacher; we
proclaim and testify to the world what we have ‘seen’ or experienced when
we are touched by his powerful presence in the midst of our life-situations
(cf. 1 Jn 1:1-2). He is in our Bethlehems; he is in our Gethsemanes; he is in
our Golgothas; he is on our
From the testimony of the resurrection
given by the devout women, we come to know that those who ‘seek’ Jesus with love,
devotion and faith, encounter him in impossible situations, even in
death. The faithful love of the women disciples is a great inspiration to all of us not to
give up our good initiatives/ welfare activities/ service when we meet hurdles/
opposition/ discouragement. These women prove the old traditional saying: “Two
men looked through the prison bars; one saw mud, the other stars.” When the
rest of them gave up, the women remained faithful, hoping something good
against all hopes. When others saw mud, they looked beyond it by remaining
faithful to their Master.
As the women initially responded
to the sight of empty tomb by bowing their faces to the ground, if our gaze is fixed only on the tomb, that is exclusively
on material things and worldly concerns, and if we fail to see him
beyond the ‘tomb’ built by our selfishness and attachment to these things, then
he is no more living for us. If we live exclusively for money, higher and
higher status, more and more prestige, greater and greater income, and fail to
see anything beyond this ‘tomb,’ then we are dead, that is, just existing
rather than truly living. If we have no aim or cause to live and die for, then
we die several times before we really die. Yes, the tomb is empty; we will not find him
there. We will not find him where forces of death are at work; where a culture
of death, violence and ‘might-is-right’ policy rules. We will not find him
where greed, corruption and dishonesty rule. Nor will we find him only in ‘
Today’s gospel invites us to look
for the presence of the Risen Lord speciality among the marginalized people in our
globalized and pluralistic world. We have to ‘seek’ him in a more committed
manner among the poor, the sick, the underprivileged, the deprived, the
suffering and the downtrodden and make the Risen Lord’s face of mercy shine on
them by doing works of mercy for such people. He wants that we
show a preferential love for the poor and the marginalized
by our service to them. We make his presence active and striking when we
continue his mission to bring life to those who are in death-like
situations. By doing works of mercy for the underprivileged and the downtrodden
we bring them the joy of the resurrection. Then “the tender
mercy
of our God” will break upon those who “sit in darkness and in the shadow
of death”
(Lk 1:78-79).
The message of Easter is the
message of God’s mercy winning a victory over the forces of hatred, intolerance and violence. There forces are the
forces of darkness and death. The question is whether we are
and shall remain faithful to his mission of doing works of mercy in the midst of
darkness and shadows of death. It is through our deeds of mercy done to the
least ones, the dawn of the resurrection will break upon them (Lk 1:78).
Those who think that it is pointless to live and pointless
to die with hope are already dead. For them the stone blocking the tomb is not yet
rolled away. Besides, our lack of faith, sin or hardheartedness and
self-centredness could be considered as the stones that block our vision of the
Risen Lord. Today’s gospel invites us to roll away these obstructing
stones. If we believe that Jesus is really living, others can notice it in our lives.
After all, the fact of the resurrection was established by the effect it had on
the lives of the apostles. They were totally transformed from cowardice to
courageous witnesses. Do people notice the traces of Christ’s living
presence in our conduct?-
5. Response to God's Word
Do we seek the Risen Lord in all
situations? Do we have faith enough to recognize the presence of the Risen
Lord? Do we feel that Jesus is risen in us and in the world we live? What are
the effects of Jesus’ living presence on our life and behaviour? By what signs
we can know that Jesus is really living and active in our homes, neighbourhood
and the Church? Have we locked up Jesus in our narrow and selfish world? Do we
‘see’ Jesus among the poor and the marginalized? Do we allow the Easter Light
to dispel the darkness of sin, and baptismal water to cleanse us from evil?
What are forces of death that rule our life, over which we need to win a
victory with the power of the Risen Lord?
6. A prayer
Risen Lord, open the
eyes of our faith that we may seek you and discover your presence in the midst
of our lives – its problems, trials, struggles, joys and sorrows. Roll away the
obstructing stones which block our vision beyond the limited space of our selfish
desires. Grant that we may recognise you as you speak to us in the Scriptures
and come to us as our spiritual food in the Eucharist. Walk with us Lord, in our
valley of tears, in our hardships, in our doubts and in all that happens to us.
May we experience your support in our weaknesses and your outstretched arms in
our fall and failures. Amen.
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