EASTER SUNDAY : DAY OF VICTORY AND LIFE

EASTER SUNDAY (A) – (Acts 10:34a, 37-43; Col 3:1-4; John 20:1-9)

Theme: Day of Victory, Day of Life and the Day of Alleluia

Reflection

- The Resurrection of Jesus is the ‘Central Point’ of the salvation history: CENTRAL POINT BETWEEN REMEMBRANCE AND REALIZATION.
o We move backwards into the past to REMEMBER the Wonderful Acts of God in the history from the first day of creation to this day of ‘new creation’ and ‘new life’ in and through the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, therefore we are always connected to the beautiful experience of past; that’s what we have done in the liturgy of these past few days and in the special manner in immediate preparations for this great event, that is, in the Vigil:
 We have just completed the forty days of preparations with the fasting, prayer and abstinence.
 We have just finished the intense preparation in the Holy Week in order to be with the Risen Jesus.
 We have fruitfully and gracefully celebrated the ‘Holy Triduum’ in which we have immersed ourselves in the mysteries of Christ and in a special way, in His Passion and Death.
 We have also just seen and celebrated with heart-filled rigor, the ‘LIGHT OF GLORY’ and ‘JOY OF RESURRECTION’ in the Vigil of Easter, last night. In this celebration, before re-echoing of Gloria, we have reviewed all the significant events of God’s doing starting from the creation to the Jesus’ passion and death and sepulcher.
 In this way we moved backwards from the central point of Jesus’ Resurrection and thus we have become the Christians of ‘Contemplation’ (remembering) of the God’s Redemptive designs.
o From now on, we move forwards into the future to REALIZE the ‘newness of life’ from today to that day of ‘New Heavens and New Earth’ (the predication of Apocalypse: “I will make everything new”) again with the faith and hope in the Risen Jesus. Therefore we always go with hope that we are not condemned to death but destined for the new life in Christ. We celebrate this ‘Realization’ in the liturgy of coming few days, in this Easter Season.
 Now is the Time to start the ‘Easter Season’. Season of Joy, season of Life and Season of Victory and we walk along with the Risen Christ for these forty days glancing to his own manifestation of his risen glory amidst the people.
 With the celebration of His Ascension and the descent of the Holy Spirit, the possibility of this realization is made very easy to those who heed to the voice of the Holy Spirit, for, He is the One who makes everything new and alive.
 In this way we move forward from the central point of Jesus’ Resurrection and thus we become the Christian of ‘Active Mission’ (realization) of God’s presence in and through us.
- Easter People – Living Witnesses: People who base themselves upon this CENTRE (Jesus’ Resurrection) are both ‘Contemplative’ (prayer) and ‘Missionary’ (testimony).
o People of the Resurrection are not to stop themselves at the ‘beautiful moments of past experience’ (with the life of contemplation and prayer) but actively live and make other live the ‘joyful moments of the future glory’ (with the life of testimony and action).
o Contemplation is certainly necessary to gather the spiritual force and energy but it cannot just be outside of the dispensing of this spirit to others which is possible only in the active life of witnessing the joy of Jesus.
o The contrary is also true that the active witnessing to Jesus is not authentically possible if it is not strengthened by prayer and contemplation.
o Therefore, Easter People move backward into the past to remember the deeds of the Lord accomplished in Christ ‘in contemplation’ and step forward into the future to realize the great things to happen in the Spirit ‘in mission’ and thus they live this present moment throwing themselves completely into the hands of Risen Jesus.
- Proofs of the Resurrection of Jesus possible?
o History and Revelation:
 Historically, in the sphere of mere REASON, the Resurrection of Jesus seems to be dim and unclear for various reasons and we are not sure of historical inscriptions for this event.
 Revelation of God, in the sphere of authentic FAITH, the Resurrection of Jesus is completely true and a great event that changed the face of the world.
o Then, how can we proceed forward without any proof of historical reason: The Person of Jesus Christ himself is the Greatest Proof (self witness):
 He is not only historical but revelatory. His journey is not from the history to revelation but vice-versa. He is revealed in history and made the history complete and perfect. Therefore, in the matter of Jesus Christ depending only on the ‘historical proof/reason’ is not enough. Revelation goes beyond the history. History asking for the reason in the realm of Revelation of God is like, as Augustine holds of the Trinitarian Mystery, trying to put ‘ocean into the small vessel’. Therefore, shall we leave it here and say that it is a Mystery that our eyes don’t understand? We should not fall, in this way, fall into the ‘escapism’.
 Everything about the ‘Historical Jesus’ is FORETOLD: Though it is revelation of God, nothing happened suddenly. God’s deeds are always prophetic. From the moment God decided to save man from the power of sin and death through His Son Jesus Christ, He has foretold everything ahead of its actual happening. The Old Testament is greatest basis for this foretelling of Jesus Christ who is to come. The greatest ‘Christ-Event’, which includes his annunciation, birth, preaching, passion, death and resurrection and coming of the Holy Spirit, itself is foretold. Christ himself said that He has come to fulfilled what the Law, Prophets, the Psalms of the Old Testament told about him.
 He himself foretold about his ‘death and resurrection’, at least three times, long before it actually took place and even though his disciple did not understand it properly. Now, He is (risen) what he has already foretold about himself before.
o Is the personal witness completely valid and are there not any other witnesses? Disciples and His chosen people (witness of near and dear ones):
 His disciples were the eye witnesses of his ‘Risen Life and Glory’.
• Mary Magdalene and Mary worshipping Risen Jesus (Math 28:9);
• Disciples on the road to Emmaus recognize Jesus in the breaking of the bread (Lk 24:31);
• The dialogue between Mary Magdalene and Jesus and finally she, with the joy of seeing her ‘Rabbouni’, announces to the disciples: ‘I have seen the Lord’ (Jn 20:18).
• Disciples, themselves fearful and hiding, receive ‘peace and power to forgive sins’ from the Risen Lord (Jn 20:19-29).
• ‘It is the Lord’ (Jn 21:7) is the joyful testimony of the disciple to Peter and other disciples when the Risen Jesus appeared to the seven disciples.
• Peter receiving the authority of ‘feeding the sheep’ (Jn 21:15-19) after confirming his conditional love for Jesus.
 On the foundation of these Apostles’ faith and experience of Risen Jesus that the Christianity has its construction and it is still alive and active like a double edged sword. Therefore we cannot simply eliminate the witness of his disciples on the ‘fact of resurrection of Jesus’. But with this experience of faith, can we satisfy our mind’s doubts on this event and say that no reason could explain it but only faith?
o By its fruit the status of the tree is measured: We keep reason aside because no one saw Jesus rising from the tomb; we keep the self-witness of Jesus or witness of his disciples aside for time being and now we will try to analyze and rationalize what is the consequence of Jesus’ Resurrection? What happened in the life of disciple who followed him till this moment? What is result of the wonderful words and marvelous deeds he has preached and accomplished? What is the destiny of the Kingdom of God that He established with his passion and death? Is everything gone in vain? The simple answer as we see today, is NO.
 Disciples, who were timid and hiding, went on preaching the good news to the ends of the world, even to the cost of their own lives.
 The primitive Christian community, with the life of sharing and togetherness, has witnessed the life and mission of Jesus.
 The innumerable martyrs who have shed their blood for the ‘vision of Glory of God’ in the next life which Jesus promised.
 The small mustard seed which is being planted (with His death) and sprouted (with His resurrection) is now a big tree (Kingdom of God) which has been spread whole through the earth and all the believers enjoying its fruit. By this fruit of faith we know and taste the tree of life (Risen Jesus).
- Therefore, history will stop somewhere but not the revelation, but history is need for revelation; reason has some limitations but not the experience of faith, still reason help to strengthen the faith;
o Is not unintelligent to search for the one who lives among the dead;
o It is unwise to minimize the ‘mysteries of God’ to the level of human tiny mind.

First Reading

- Only question we can ask while reading this piece from the Acts in which Peter preaches to the family of roman soldier is: who was Peter before the event of resurrection of Jesus and who is Peter now after experiencing the Risen Jesus? Enough we have got the proof.

Second Reading

- In as much as we believe in the Risen Jesus we have to search for the things above. We are no more in the sepulcher but risen. No more looking down with desperation but looking high. We are not to be immersed in the life of the earth but with the hope of rising again to our Life and our Life is Risen Christ (v. 4).

Gospel Reading: ‘come and see’ – ‘see and believe’

- John starts the mission of Jesus with the call to his disciples to ‘come and see’ (Jn 1:39) and now he ends the mission of Jesus with disciples’ “seeing and believing” (Jn 20:8).
- According to John’s theology, this is the process of knowing and acknowledging the Truth that has come into the earth: COME – SEE – BELIEVE.
- Once you believe, which goes beyond the reason and historical proofs, THIS EVENT OF RESURRECTION becomes the Day of Victory, Day of Life and the Day of Alleluia because, as the Psalmist says, this is the day that the LORD HAS MADE, let us rejoice and be glad in it. Alleluia.