Solemnity of the Lord's Resurrection

 


FEAST OF THE RESURRECTION


When somebody wishes you a Happy Easter, you respond by likewise wishing them a Happy Easter. Next, having reciprocated, you move on, never giving any thought to the question of whether or not your Easter really can be described as a Happy Easter. Suppose this year you pause and actually give the question some thought. Is it a Happy Easter? 


Happy enough, it would seem. We have Jesus stepping forth from the tomb. That strikes you as something good. You’re thinking: It’s about time something good happened for that man. Last time I checked in, it was all about pain and sorrow. Now he’s back, better than ever. How can you not be happy? You’re naturally happy for Jesus and for his disciples. This is what it means to have a Happy Easter. Right? We’re supposed to be happy for Jesus. And we’re supposed to be happy for his disciples. 


If that’s the extent of it, then maybe you’re not having the kind of Easter that you could be having. You’ve limited yourself. You’re playing the role of spectator—or viewer. You’re looking at Jesus in the same way that you were looking at Frosty the Snowman back in December. You saw Frosty on the television screen. He became alive, he melted, and then by the end of the show he was alive again. You felt happy inside. You were happy for Frosty and also for the kids who had rallied around him. Now, this template is being applied to the Easter narrative. Essentially, you’re treating the Easter event like a television program. You see the Jesus character: he’s alive; he’s attracting followers; then enemy forces close in; he’s no longer alive; his disciples are grieving. But suddenly he’s back and everybody’s smiling. 


The problem here is that you’ve shortchanged yourself. You’re having a lukewarm Easter when you could be having a Happy Easter. A “fourth wall” separates you from the Frosty character. In television terms, this means that you’re not a part of the story. You’re not implicated. There is no personal stake or investment. You can only be a viewer, a spectator. You’re on the outside, looking in. With Easter, you can literally pass through that fourth wall. The New Testament authors WANT YOU to penetrate that fourth wall. They don’t want you to be on the outside looking in. Appreciate the fact that this is not just something good happening for Jesus; this is something good happening for you. 


Recall your baptismal identity. You are united with Christ through the sacrament of Baptism. His odyssey becomes your odyssey. Yes, you will have to make room for the cross. But remember that, for Jesus, the cross represents one part of a much larger picture. Your larger picture includes a profound new destiny; it’s a destiny that stretches beyond the boundaries of this earthly way of life. Furthermore, you’ve been blessed with a new hope. It’s an indomitable hope, a hope that derives from Heaven itself. Bonded with Christ in this way, you can now dare to hope, in every circumstance and in every situation. After all, there has never been a darker day than that original Good Friday. If the darkness of Good Friday can be overturned, then it stands to reason that the darkness afflicting you can also be overturned. Lay claim to this hope, and treat yourself to the Easter that you deserve. 

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