How did one man who was put to death 2,000 years ago manage to become the center of a worldwide religion with billions of adherents over the centuries? How did his closest disciples manage to take his message out to the ends of the earth when they themselves were relentlessly pursued, persecuted, and in most cases put to death? How did subsequent disciples of this man go on to build an entire culture based on his teachings, with universities, orphanages, parishes, health care facilities, schools and soup kitchens? How is it that the greatest sinners have become the greatest saints, all because of their relationship with this man? How is it that people of all walks of life have fallen so deeply in love with this man that they make sacrifices for him, offer their lives for him, even face death for him — and all with amazing joy?
We know, of course, that the man of whom we speak is Jesus Christ, and that he is not only a man but God. We know that he died 2,000 years ago, but he rose from the dead. But how would even that knowledge motivate such incredible transformation of the lives of individuals and of entire cultures? Could memories of past glories be that powerful?
The good news we celebrate at Easter is that Jesus, who once rose from the dead, is still very much alive. We can even encounter him physically when we gather together to hear his Word in the liturgy, when we can touch the members of his living Body when we gather in our parishes with his other disciples, and when we eat the flesh and drink the blood of the one who is the living bread come down from heaven. His apostles physically encountered him several times after his resurrection, and that encounter in itself set them on fire so intensely that they boldly went to the ends of the earth, enduring great suffering, to proclaim his holy name — and always with joy. But we, who do not see him, can still encounter him, and that encounter — if we are aware of how awesome it is — can make us bold to meet all the challenges of our own lives and our culture. The encounter with the risen Lord Jesus is available to us every Sunday — indeed every day! — in the Eucharist. If we truly contemplate and understand that this simple act of worship is nothing less than world-changing, we will never want to miss an opportunity to be with the risen Jesus.
How sour and skeptical the world is; how dark and self-destructive; how violent and vengeful! We know, because we often suffer these depressing burdens. Yet we, the little band of the disciples of Jesus, have a power that he gives us to transform a dead world into a world teeming with the life of God; from a world that is stripped and beaten into nothingness into a world filled with love, and justice, and light. As Jesus breathed out the Holy Spirit on his apostles the night of his resurrection, he continues to breathe out the same Spirit on us, so that we can be his ambassadors of reconciliation, the candles with which his light dispels the darkness, and the love that nourishes the world because it is first nourished on Jesus. His mission continues. His presence is always with us. His love is everlasting. His call is urgent, and we celebrate this Easter once again so that millions may joyfully proclaim in word and deed, “Here I am, Lord! Send me!”
Easter blessings to all!