He Is Risen
He Is Risen
Think back to maybe when you were starting high school and you thought, “I can’t wait to graduate. These four years are going to take FOREVER.” Then you get to graduation day, look back and think, “I can’t believe how quickly high school flew by.” As a parent, I remember my daughter starting to play CYO volleyball then all of a sudden it’s senior night in The Thunderdome and I’m sitting there thinking, “Where did all that time go?”
“Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”
-Ferris Bueller
We’re all so busy with work, volunteering, activities with our children or grandchildren, house projects, etc. that it can be so easy to blow right by significant events and not really give those events there proper due.
Since last Sunday, I’ve been thinking how easy it is to move on from Easter and fall back into my busy routines. Family get-togethers on Easter Sunday were nice but now they’re over, my Easter suit is back hanging in the closet, the Easter baskets are back up in the attic and I’m back enjoying everything I “gave up” during Lent.
About a month ago, my blog was about Lent and why Lent was so important? The answer to that question was Easter. Since Easter is the Greatest Feast during our liturgical year, the time to prepare for our Great Feast has to be of monumental importance. So we spent forty days of our year preparing for one day and then it’s over, just like that? Nope, the Church in her infinite wisdom provides for an entire season for Easter, an entire season for us to celebrate the Lord’s resurrection from the dead. The Church will continue to be beautifully decorated, Father Michael and Deacon Mel will continue to don their white and gold vestments, the alter will continue to be draped in white throughout the Easter Season as we continue to celebrate the fact of the resurrection. The Easter Candle will continue to be placed next to the ambo as a visual reminder of Jesus being the Way of Light after his resurrection. We will continue to hear from scripture throughout the Easter Season about the resurrection of Jesus and the invigorated mission his disciples would embark on proclaiming The Good News throughout the world.
Bishop Robert Barron gives three implications when you accept the FACT of the resurrection:
Jesus is who he said he was. St. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 15:14, “if Christ has not been raised, then empty is our preaching; empty, too, your faith.” The resurrection validates and confirms everything we believe in as Catholics.
Our sins are forgiven. We killed God and God returned in forgiving love. Over the next couple Sundays our Gospel readings will describe instances when the Lord Jesus appeared to the disciples before His ascension. Please pay close attention to a detail of both Gospel passages – Jesus shows them his wounds and says to them “Peace be with you.” This is not by accident. The Lord provides a visual reminder that humanity killed God but He responds with love and forgiveness – “Peace be with you.” I’ve always understood Jesus showing his wounds as a confirmation that He is the risen Christ (which is completely true) but this added detail Bishop Barron draws upon about the wounds being a reminder of our sins and the Lord’s forgiveness really resonates with me now.
The resurrection shows who is our King and what our mission ought to be. When the Lord returned to his disciples after the resurrection and once they received the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, they were motivated like nothing this world has seen before or since. They knew their mission was to spread the Word about our Lord throughout the entire world and would give up their lives while doing so.
I know how all our lives can move pretty fast. It can be difficult to stop and look around once in a while to ensure we’re not missing the opportunity to continue to celebrate most important historical event in the history of our world – the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. I pray during this Easter Season we haven’t already lost the joy we felt on Easter Sunday. I pray the inspiration of the resurrection will ripple in our hearts throughout this entire Easter Season and Pentecost Sunday will confirm in each one of us our mission to continue to proclaim The Good News.
Paul is a 1997 graduate of SJCC. He’s coached track and field at SJCC for 19 years and has coached different levels of volleyball for the last 9 years. He’s been the Fremont City Auditor since 2012. He’s on parish finance council and has been a lector and Eucharistic Minister for several years.