Sunday, March 23, 2008

Homily – 03-23-2008 – Easter Sunday

This is the day the Lord has made! Let us rejoice and be glad!

There is no more a joyful day than the day which is Jesus Christ Risen from the dead. Jesus Christ transformed the darkness of eternal night, into the light of never-ending day! And he did this by his unspeakable Passion and Death – which we recalled and remembered this past week; he did this by being raised to a newness of life by the Holy Spirit at the direct command of God the Father on the third day: this day! Alleluia! Glory and praise to Jesus!

Jesus came into the world to be the obedience that was necessary to gain our salvation. This was to happen by him – as Word of God – taking on a human nature, along with his divine nature. He took on this nature but set aside the divinity so that he could live a completely human life (except for sin) and thereby take into himself every single thing that there is about humanity - so that by his self-sacrificial death - humanity could be rescued from the doom to which it was consigned!

This is amazing news for us! This means that Jesus experienced the depths of our humanness – so that we could experience the heights of his divinity. And today we recall the great event which made it all valid, meaningful and significant! JESUS CHRIST ROSE FROM THE DEAD to a newness of life!

We must be clear: Jesus did not just get resuscitated, like he resuscitated Lazarus. He is the first-born of the new creation of human beings
who will be what we always were meant to be – an amazing combination of soul and spiritual body! This was always in the mind of God the Father for us – and now it was possible again to achieve this: the sin of Adam which caused the separation of us with God, and us with each other – and all its other effects, like pain and death – is now destroyed. All is even better than it was before

In the first reading today, St. Peter tells all that everyone who believes in Jesus will receive forgiveness of sins through his name. And the way that Jesus indicated that this was to happen was through the gateway of baptism. He told his Apostles just before he ascended into heaven "go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." The Apostles went far and wide to the ends of the earth – throughout the ages – into our own day – to do what Jesus commanded!

And so this is what we will now celebrate and do with our catechumens who through this season of Lent

have heard God calling them to become a member of his family the Church;

who have listened to his Word, especially in the hearing of Scripture proclaimed at Mass, and responded by desiring a conversion, a "turning completely towards" him and his way of life;

and now they will make a profession of faith, ask for baptism and finally be received into the Church where they will be strengthened by the Gift of God the Father: the Holy Spirit, in the sacrament of Confirmation to help them live their lives as new Catholics.

Then they will be admitted to the table of the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. They will join us at communion in receiving our daily bread – our spiritual food – which will be provided for us – until the Lord comes again!

This is the day the Lord has made! Let us rejoice and be glad!

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