Easter Is The Celebration Of The Risen Christ

Easter is a time when the Catholic Church becomes more alive than ever, because it is a time when the church celebrates, when the church remembers the salvation of  our God.  All of the Catholic Church’s feasts and celebrations are centered around one word – remembrance.  For example at Christmas time, we remember and we celebrate birth of Jesus Christ, God incarnate, into our world.  He came not as God, but as priest and victim, the precious Lamb of God to take away all of our sins.  Put in layman’s terms, he came to make a way so that all of us can gain the ultimate purpose for which we were created and that is to live forever with our Heavenly Father in heaven.

Easter is about victory over the temptations of this world .  At the beginning of lent, the entire church focused on Jesus’s temptation in the wilderness. It is easy, oh so easy for us to think of Jesus as God and only as God. We often overlook the fact that he was fully human, that he felt pain, that he felt tired, that he wept. St. Paul in his letter to the Philippians reminds us by writing,

“In your mind you must be the same as Christ Jesus: a state was divine, yet it did not cling to his equality with God but emptied himself to assume the condition of a slave, and became as men are; and being as all men are, he was humble yet, even to accepting death, death on the cross. But God raised him high and give him the name which is above all other names so that all beings in the heavens, on Earth and in the underworld, should bend the knee at the name of Jesus and that every tongue should acclaim Jesus Christ as Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

Easter is about obedience to God and any cost. If you look in the book of Genesis chapter 22, there is a story of Abraham being put to the test by God.  God called to Abraham, “Abraham, Abraham,” he called. “Here I am.” Abraham replied. Then God said to him, “take your son, your only son Isaac whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah. There you shall offer him as a burnt offering on a mountain I will point out to you.”  The scripture says that Abraham trusted God and was obedient to God’s request. In that particular story, in that event, when God saw how much Abraham trusted and obeyed him, he ordered him not to harm his son Isaac. Many centuries later it was God himself who would pay the ultimate price, the price that would cost him his only son, Jesus Christ, whom he loved, for the salvation of the whole world.

When Jesus started his public ministry, many thought of him to be a political leader, someone who would deliver them from the hands, the slavery of the Romans. In spite of all the miracles Jesus worked and in spite of all that he said to them they did not understand. In spite of all of the sermons that he preached:-

“How happy are the poor in spirit; theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Happy the gentle: they will have the Earth as their heritage. Happy for those who mourn: they shall be comforted.  Happy are those who hunger and thirst for what is right: they shall be satisfied. Happy the merciful: they shall have mercy shown them. Happy the pure in heart: they shall see God. Happy the peacemaker: they shall be called sons of God. Happy those who are persecuted in the cause of right: theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

 

That is hardly the makings of a political speech. Yet they thought of him as a political leader who would lead them into a revolution against their oppressors.

Easter is about the Love of God for us all.  Jesus was love personified. I say this because he was well aware of what his heavenly Father’s plans were for him and his life as man. In John chapter 10, Jesus said, “the father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. No one takes it from me; I lay it down on my own free will, and as it is in my power to lay it down, so it is in my power to take it up again; and this is the command I have been given by my father.”

These particular words caused great disagreement among the Jews. Many thought at that time that he was possessed; that he was some type of madman and why should they bother to listen to him. Yet others said this could not possibly be the words of someone possessed by demons.  After all, he opened the eyes of the blind.

Easter is about Love that paid the ultimate price.  Jesus was well aware of the road that he was about to walk. He was well aware that in spite of all of that he had done, that the very same people who laid the cloaks on the streets waving on palm and olive branches singing “Hosanna to the son of the son of David!”, would in a matter of a few days be screaming at the top of their voices, “crucify him! Crucify him!” But yet out of love for his Father, and out of love for us all, he willingly laid down his life so that we all might live. And so he gave his life, his life on a cross for us all.

It is very important to note that Jesus did not die quietly in his sleep. It is very important to remember that his death was not a peaceful one. Jesus did not die of old age, nor did he die of natural causes.  Jesus’ death was one of the most painful, most violent deaths ever recorded in human history. It is also very important to note that Jesus did not deserve to die. And yet ours were the sufferings he bore, ours the sorrows he carried. But we, we thought of him as someone punished, struck down by God, and brought low. Yet he was pierced through and through for our faults, crushed for our sins. On him lies a punishment that brings us peace and through his wounds we are healed.

But God’s word is always true. ALWAYS!  And so Easter is about our God who always comes through for us.  What ever he says he will do, he always, always, always does. The story of our salvation – alleluIa! – does not end with the death of Jesus Christ! The story of our salvation took a turn, turn for the better, in fact a turn for the best possible outcome that there could ever be, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. They tried everything possible to make sure that Jesus was dead, and to keep him dead but he was stronger, so much stronger than they were  – ALLELUIA!  A large stone was rolled across the entrance of the tomb in which he lay, and to make sure that he stayed dead; ha! Ha! Ha! – they posted guards at the tomb. But God! But God! But God is infinitely bigger that all of their schemes!

God has a special plan, a glorious plan, a special purpose for all of us His children. The glory or Easter tells us that if we love God, if we trust in His ways, if we submit our will to Him, then no matter how others try to keep us down, His ultimate purpose for us will be achieved. AMEM!

Have A Happy And Glorious Easter.  May The Glory Of The Risen Christ Be Upon You Always!

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