April 5, 2026
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Acts 10:34-43; Psalm 118; Colossians 3:1-4; John 20:1-9
Today the church sings
out in a joyful voice: Alleluia. Alleluia. Jesus of Nazareth has been raised by
God from the dead. God has vindicated Him and He is the Anointed One –
forevermore to be alive to us and for us. The Resurrection tells us that God
knows our human suffering and that death and suffering are not the final words.
Life with God is the message. Through the Passion of Jesus, we can see the
humanity’s worst actions are never the final statement. Mercy wins. Mercy
breaks forth as God transforms human suffering and injustice into life.
In the First Reading,
Peter testifies to the events of the Crucifixion and gives evidence of their
authority to bear witness. They realize that faith is not an idea, but a
testimony. Their faith demands proclamation, and so they are sent forth to
speak to the very people who condemned Jesus to death. They testify to God as
the giver of life who wants all people to raise their minds and consciousness
to the divine project that is unfolding before them.
In the Gospel, on the
first Easter morning, we see that faith precedes our full comprehension. Peter
and the Beloved Disciple at first do not see anything dramatic, just neatly
folded cloths in an empty tomb, but something within them shifts. They come to
believe that Jesus was raised from the dead. Faith awakens even when they do
not yet fully understand. The Beloved Disciple has an “aha” moment, an instance
of conversion, an interior shift in his consciousness. Then Peter understands
and Mary Magdalene as well.
This should reassure us
that our understanding of the Resurrection is still incomplete. Faith never
means full knowledge. It means we progress a little bit more along the way. We
continue to evolve as we become “People of the Way.” If you have fundamental
questions, then great, you are on the way. If you do not believe the whole
package, then great, you are on the way. Faith is a journey that unfolds over
time, and we need to ask our questions and tell our stories so we can witness
the Risen Christ working within us. We can put it this way: The tomb is empty,
but faith is not. It begins with questions and doubts. It grows through our
searching, and like the first Disciples, it blossoms into belief, and one day
we realize that we are standing courageously in front of others saying: We are
witnesses to the Resurrection. Jesus lives. Jesus lives within us and is active
in our world today – even when humanity does its very worst to each other. God
is at work transforming our lives and calling us to be our very best selves.
We celebrate the
Resurrection today, but please know that you may not feel that Easter moment
today or within the next week. This quiet joy may come months afterwards. Trust
that it will come. As it was with the Beloved Disciple, a moment will come over
you when you realize something shifts, you gain an insight, you breathe more
easily, you feel settled and centered, you know that everything will be okay.
It may be a new energy, a new life, a new love, a moment of reconciliation, a
surprising moment of laughter, a time when someone who is estranged takes a
tiny step back into your life, a moment of understanding. It might be a moment
in which your dreams, creativity, and longings are rekindled. Respect these
moments as ones in which God is reaching out to you, personally, offering you
the Resurrection. God promises to be with you. God’s project for you is
unfinished. God does not want you to stay in the tomb. Step out, see that God’s
work for you is still in process. God has not forgotten you. Christ promises to
come back for you. He will always hold a place in his heart for you. Happy
Easter!
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