April 20, 2025 English

 The gospel for Easter Sunday morning is from John 20:1-9, in which the first disciple to arrive at the tomb “saw and believed” (20:8). The first disciples journeyed from ‘no faith’ to ‘complete faith’.  Only now do the disciples grasp that the scriptures, teaching that Jesus must rise from the dead, had been fulfilled. The darkness of unbelief which began this account – ‘it was very early, and still dark’ – has now been turned into the light of faith.

In our challenging times, we may want to remember the unflinching faith of the underground church. Persecution has been a constant part of Christian history in varying degrees of severity, beginning with Jewish rejection and Roman persecution and continuing in totalitarian and Muslim countries where Christians are a minority.
 
In today’s world, persecution may come in subtle ways, such as belittling and trivializing our faith. In this high-tech information age, there is a cultural pressure to see everything without assigning value to any moral principle, philosophical system, or religious belief. All views and assertions are juxtaposed as if they are all equal and equally valid. This postmodern liberality defies logic.
 
Indifference toward anything truthful or transcendent is no excuse for this sinister journey toward a dark abyss. Instead, the journey from darkness to light is available to all of us. Easter invites us to read the signs of the risen Lord among us.
 
We may ask ourselves if we have become too pragmatic or horizontal about life and neglect things that are eternal and transcendent. Is our presumably ‘scientific’ world view so sophisticated and advanced that the Catholic faith has become some archaic, irrelevant myth or practical inconvenience? Or does our frustration with church leadership hinder our relationship with the Lord? No matter what our current situation is, the Gospel message remains an invitation and challenge to all of us. Jesus is always there for us with patience and understanding, with love and mercy. If we are stuck in postmodern sensibility, we are on a collision course with the content of our worship
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The Eucharist is about our salvation and destiny, or it is nothing. So, we pray: “May the risen Lord breathe on our minds and open our eyes that we may know him in the breaking of the bread and follow him in his risen life.”

The Risen Christ molds us into His Body, the Church, as we partake in His body and blood. He forms our identity and unites us into one. Rich or poor, conservative or liberal, devout or not so pious, we are all called to be one with the Lord and one another. May we leave our stale cocoons and embrace the risen body of the Lord! Jesus Christ is risen today! Let’s rejoice! He wants us to rise from the rubble of sin and darkness to receive the gift of a new life He has for us.  Resurrexit sicut dixit, Alleluja!

Happy Easter, everyone!
Fr. Paul D. Lee