Easter Sunday   

Gospel – John 20:1-9

Alleluia Moment!  

Church of the Transfiguration, Mt. Tabor

In another couple of weeks, it will be my Dad’s birthday.  If he were still with us, that would be his 102nd birthday.  Wow!  Just WOW!  It’s been 20 years since his passing and not a day goes by that he is not thought of fondly or remembered with love and joy for a life filled with service and dedication and faith.  So his birthday will be a mix of emotions – sadness, loss, love, joy and gratitude, and most importantly a deep sense of faith that we will meet again in the resurrection of life and in the Kingdom.

We celebrate today the holiest, most important feast of our Christian faith – the Resurrection of Jesus Christ!  It is through His death and Resurrection that He redeemed us of our sins and opened wide the gates of Heaven.  It is truly a day to shout out ALLELUIA!  Praise to the Lord!

Alleluia!! It is a word we have not heard for 40 days.  A word missing from any liturgy for the entire season of Lent!

In point of fact, it is actually 2 words, not one.  And it comes from Hebrew.  The first word HALLELU means ‘praise’ and the second YAH means GOD.  It is the root for the Hebrew word for God  -  YAHWEH.  So literally it means “praise God”.   But even that doesn’t do it justice.  It’s a word of joy, a word used in song, bursting with emotion and happiness!  Kind of like when we hear “Praise the Lord!”  Obviously it is a most appropriate expression for what we celebrate today – the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus.  He who we thought was dead has come back to us; He is risen from the dead!

And we see that word of joy and exultation throughout the Liturgy!  In the Exultet from last night!  In the Responsorial Psalm today, in the Alleluia response and the Sequence!  All of them reflect the joy of the Resurrection!  But not the Gospel!!  Far from it!

We see Mary Magdalene coming to the tomb and finding it open and empty!  We see her running to the Apostles in sadness and distress, convinced that someone has broken into the tomb and stolen Jesus’ body.

We see John and Peter racing to the tomb to check out Mary’s story.  John gets there first (obviously a faster sprinter than Peter), peeks inside and notices the burial cloths but no body.  But respectfully he waits until Peter arrives and respectfully allows Peter to enter the tomb first.  And their response?  Anger?  Fear?  Sadness?  Worry?  Not at all! 

They saw and believed!  They believed!  Not because of what they saw but because of what they didn’t see!  They didn’t see a body; they saw an empty tomb and they believed!  Such an intense moment of faith!  Faith in Jesus!  In His words and teachings!  In His promise of the Resurrection and new life in the Kingdom!

Years ago, back in the early 1970’s when I was working as Assistant Dean in the College of Arts and Sciences at Loyola University, I said good night and ‘have a good weekend’ to Charlie, my dean and good friend.  And that was the last time I saw him alive.  A few hours later, he suffered a sudden brain aneurysm and passed away.  If I ever had any doubts before, this was the moment when all those doubts disappeared!  And as much as I grieved over his loss, it was the moment in my life that I truly believed that death was not the end!  It couldn’t be!  That moment of certainty that there is a loving and compassionate God who shelters and protects us!  And that without question there is a Resurrection, life after death!

Was it an ‘alleluia’ moment?  Not exactly!  There was no jumping for joy or shouting out in exaltation!  It was a quiet moment when all was made clear, when faith filled my heart and my soul.  A moment when a calmness washed over me and, in the simplest of terms, I saw and I believed!

And isn’t that what happens with John and Peter in today’s Gospel?  When that moment of faith comes upon them and they believed!  It is a clear reminder to us all – Faith comes first and from that deep faith comes a multitude of ALLELUIAS!

And isn’t that what we celebrate today?  We Believe!  We believe in God the Father!  We believe in the Holy Spirit!  We believe in Jesus Christ, true God and true Man!  We believe that He was crucified, suffered death and was buried!  We believe that He rose from the dead on the third day!  And we look forward to the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come!  And we shout for joy!  

Amen!  Alleluia!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Image
  Sunday – 13 th Sunday in Ordinary Time   revisited Gospel – Matthew 10:37-42 The Cost/Rewards of Discipleship Via Dolorosa, Jerusalem I’m holding in my hand a simple piece of paper, barely bigger than an index card.   It’s a mini-golf scorecard and it’s 47 years old.   At the time, the game itself probably cost only about $6.   Certainly a lot less than you would pay today.   So the cost today doesn’t seem like much.   But for me all that time ago, it was a wealth of money.   So it cost me a lot.   But the rewards of the card?   Well, that is priceless.   This was one of the first dates Ginger and I went on.   And who would have guessed how that would turn out?   All the memories we have shared, painful and joyful.   All the times we have shared together and the people who have touched our lives!   Priceless! Cost and reward!   Two vastly different concepts but they play a key role in all of today’s readings.   In the first reading, a rich woman goes out of her way t
Read more
Image
  14 th Sunday in Ordinary Time   revisited Gospel – Matthew 11:25-30 The “Little Ones” Open Market, Jerusalem There’s a story about a rather eccentric teacher who was always looking for creative ways to test (torture) his students.   Sometimes it was crazy project and sometimes it was a wacky exam that tested not just their knowledge but also their experience. So one day he hands out a test, typical normal test, Q/A, except this was the last question.   What’s the name of the school janitor?   One of his students looked at the question and thought – I know he’s short, wears glasses and has light brown hair but how in the world would I know his name?   So he left it blank and turned in his paper. When class was over, he went up to the teacher and asked whether that last question would count in the test grade.   Absolutely, said the teacher.   Throughout your whole life, you will find that every person you cross paths with is important, significant.   They deserve you
Read more
Image
  16 th Sunday in Ordinary Time   revisited Gospel – Matthew 13:24-30 Be Patient, My Child Tied Up in Knots! Many years ago, I remember one summer when it was time for our daughter Jaime to learn how to ride a bicycle.   So I took off the training wheels, she climbed onto the bike and proceeded to take off.   I followed close behind, holding onto the back bumper, trying to keep the bike upright and trying to make sure she didn’t fall.   It was exhausting for both of us.   I thought I was being a good dad by doing everything I could to keep her from falling.   But it didn’t work.   We were both getting frustrated.   Finally, she had had enough and she banished me to sit on the front porch while she worked it out on her own.   It took time and it took a lot of patience, something neither one of us had much of at the start of the process. I was getting impatient with the process and she was getting impatient with me.   Patience was in short supply.   But in the end, patience w
Read more