THE OLD ROMAN Vol. I Issue XXXII Easter Sunday

What is the festival of Easter? Easter, in Latin Pascha, signifies passing over, and has the following historical origin: Under Pharaoh, King of Egypt, the Jews in that country groaned under intolerable bondage. God had mercy on His people, and the hour of deliverance came. By His command the first-born of all the Egyptians was killed by an angel. The Jews had been ordered by God to be ready for emigration, but first to kill a lamb, eat it in their houses in common, and sprinkle the doorposts with its blood. And the angel of death, by order of God, passed the doors sprinkled with the blood of the lamb, and did no harm to any child of the Israelites, whilst he slew all the first-born sons of the Egyptians. In grateful memory of this passing their doors, the Jews observed the festival of Easter, the Pasch, or Passover. After the death of Jesus, the apostles introduced the same festival into the Church in grateful remembrance of the day on which Jesus, the true Easter Lamb, took away our sins by His blood, freed us from the angel of eternal death, and passed us over to the freedom of the children of God.

Where does the word "Easter" come from? Easter is the Anglo- Saxon word for April, and was derived, as Venerable Bede tells us, (in his book De temporum ratione c. 13,) from Easter, a goddess of our pagan ancestors. Others derive Easter from Oest, Oost the Saxon for rising, or the east: and hence, Osteren, the Resurrection. Tr. from Butler’s Moveable Feasts.

Where, during this time, was Christ's holy soul? In Limbo, that is, the place where the souls of the just who died before Christ, and were yet in original sin, were awaiting their redemption.

What have we to expect from the resurrection of Christ? That our bodies will rise again from death. (Rom. VIII. II) For if Christ our head is alive, then we His members must also become reanimated, because a living head cannot exist without living members.

What is meant by the Alleluia sung at Easter time? In English Alleluia means Praise the Lord, and expresses the joy of the Church at the Resurrection of Christ, and the hope of eternal happiness which He has obtained for us.

Why does the Church on this day bless eggs, bread, and meat? To remind the faithful that although the time of fasting is now ended, they should not indulge in gluttony, but thank God, and use their food simply for the necessary preservation of physical strength.

The night between Saturday and Sunday has well nigh run its course, and the day-dawn is appearing. The Mother of sorrows is waiting, in courageous hope and patience, for the blissful moment of her Jesus’ return. Magdalene and the other holy women have spent the night in watching, and are preparing to start for the sepulchre. In limbo, the Soul of our crucified Lord is about to give the glad word of departure to the myriads of the long-imprisoned holy souls, who cluster round Him in adoring love. Death is still holding his silent sway over the sepulchre, where rests the Body of Jesus. Since the day when he gained his first victim, Abel, he has swept off Countless generations; but never has he held in his grasp a prey so noble as this that now lies in the tomb near Calvary. Never has the terrible sentence of God, pronounced against our first parents, received such a fulfilment as this; but, never has death received such a defeat as the one that is now preparing. It is true, the power of God has, at times, brought back the dead to life: the son of the widow of Naim, and Lazarus, were reclaimed from the bondage of this tyrant death; but he regained his sway over them all. But his Victim of Calvary is to conquer him for ever, for this is He of whom it is written in the prophecy: ‘O death! I will be thy death!’ [Osee, xiii, 14]. Yet a few brief moments and the battle will be begun, and life shall vanquish death.

As divine justice could not allow the Body that was united to the Word to see corruption, and there wait, like ours must, for the Archangel’s word to ‘rise and come to judgement,’ so neither could it permit the dominion of death to be long over such a Victim. Jesus had said to the Jews: ‘A wicked generation seeketh a sign; and a sign shall not be given it, but that of Jonas the prophet.’ [St. Matth. xii, 39]. Three days in the tomb, – the afternoon and night of Friday, the whole of Saturday, and a few hours of the Sunday, – yes, these are enough: enough to satisfy divine justice; enough to certify the death of the Crucified, and make His triumph glorious; enough to complete the martyrdom of that most loving of mothers, the Queen of sorrows.

‘No man taketh away my life from Me: I lay it down of Myself: I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again.’ [St. John, x, 18].  Thus spoke our Redeemer to the Jews before His Passion: now is the hour for the fulfilment of His words, and death shall feel their whole force. The day of light, Sunday, has begun, and its early dawn is struggling with the gloom. The Soul of Jesus immediately darts from the prison of limbo, followed by the whole multitude of the holy souls that are around Him. In the twinkling of an eye, it reaches and enters the sepulchre, and reunites itself with that Body, which, three days before, it had quitted amidst an agony of suffering. The sacred Body returns to life, raises itself up, and throws aside the winding-sheet, the spices, and the bands. The bruises have disappeared, the Blood has been brought back to the veins; and from these limbs that bad been torn by the scourging, from this head that had been mangled by the thorns, from these hands and feet that had been pierced with nails, there darts forth a dazzling light that fills the cave. The holy Angels had clustered round the stable and adored the Babe of Bethlehem; they are now around the sepulchre, adoring the conqueror of death. They take the shrouds, and reverently folding them up, place them on the slab, whereon the Body bad been laid by Joseph and Nicodemus.

But Jesus is not to tarry in the gloomy sepulchre. Quicker than a ray of light through a crystal, He passes through the stone that closes the entrance of the cave. Pilate had ordered his seal to be put upon this stone, and a guard of soldiers is there to see that no one touches it. Untouched it is, and unmoved; and yet Jesus is free! Thus, as the holy Fathers unanimously teach us, was it at His birth: He appeared to the gaze of Mary, without having offered the slightest violence to her maternal womb. The birth and the resurrection, the commencement and the end of Jesus’ mission, these two mysteries bear On them the seal of resemblance: in the first, it is a Virgin Mother; in the last, it is a sealed tomb giving forth its captive God.

And while this Jesus, this Man-God, thus breaks the sceptre of death, the stillness of the night is un disturbed. His and our victory has cost Him no effort. 0 death! where is now thy kingdom? Sin had made us thy slaves; thy victory was complete; and now, lo! thou thyself art defeated! Jesus, whom thou didst exultingly hold under thy law, has set
1 Apec. 1, 5. 2 I. Cor. xv, 26.
‘Ibid. 56.
Himself free; and we, after thou hast domineered over us for a time, we too shall be free from thy grasp. The tomb thou makest for us, will become to us the source of a new life, for He that now conquers thee is ‘the First-born among the dead ; ~1 and to-day is the Pasch, the Passover, the deliverance, for Jesus and for us, His brethren. He has led the way; we shall follow; and the day will come, when thou, the enemy, that destroyest all things, shalt thyself be destroyed by immortality.2 Thy defeat dates from this moment of Jesus’ resurrection, and, with the great Apostle, we say to thee: ‘O death! where is thy victory? O death! where is thy sting ? ‘

But the sepulchre is not to remain shut: it must be thrown open, and testify to men, that He, whose lifeless Body lay there, is indeed risen from the dead. As when our Jesus expired upon the Cross, so now, immediately after His resurrection, an earthquake shook the foundations of the world; but, this time, it was for joy. ‘The Angel of the Lord descended from heaven, rolled back the stone, and sat upon it. And his countenance was as lightning, and his raiment as snow. And for fear of him, the guards were struck with terror,’ and fell on the ground ‘as dead men.’ God has mercy on them; they return to themselves, and quitting the dread sepulchre, they hasten to the city, and relate what they have seen.
Meanwhile, our risen Jesus, seen by no other mortal eye, has sped to His most holy Mother. He is the Son of God; He is the vanquisher of death; but He is, likewise, the Son of Mary. She stood near Him to the last, uniting the sacrifice of her mother’s heart with that He made upon the Cross; it is just, therefore, that she should be the first to partake of the joy of His resurrection. The Gospel does not relate the apparition thus made by Jesus to His Mother, whereas all the others are fully described. It is not difficult to assign the reason. The other apparitions were intended as proofs of the resurrection; this to Mary was dictated by the tender love borne to her by her Son. Both nature and grace required that His first visit should be to such a Mother, and Christian hearts dwell with delight on the meditation of the mystery. There was no need of its being mentioned in the Gospel; the tradition of the holy Fathers, beginning with St. Ambrose, bears sufficient testimony to it; and even had they been silent, our hearts would have told it us. And why was it that our Saviour rose from the tomb so early on the day He had fixed for His resurrection? It was because His filial love was impatient to satisfy the vehement longings of His dearest and most afflicted Mother. Such is the teaching of many pious and learned writers; and who that knows aught of Jesus and Mary could refuse to accept it?

But who is there would attempt to describe the joy of such a meeting? Those eyes, that had grown dim from wakefulness and tears, now flash with delight at beholding the brightness which tells her Jesus is come. He calls her by her name; not with the tone of voice which pierced her soul when He addressed her from the Cross, but with an accent of joy and love, such as a son would take when telling a mother that he had triumphed. The Body, which, three days ago, she had seen covered with Blood and dead, is now radiant with life, beaming with the reflections of divinity. He speaks to her words of tenderest affection, He embraces her, He kisses her. Who, we ask, would dare to describe this scene, which the devout Abbot Rupert says so inundated the soul of Mary with joy, that it made her forget all the sorrows she had endured.
Nor must we suppose that the visit was a short One, In one of tl~e ~eve1atjons ~rante4 to t1~e 8era~hiQ St. Teresa, our Lord told her, that when He appeared to His blessed Mother immediately after His resurrection, He found her so overwhelmed with grief that she would soon have died; that it was not until several moments had passed, that she was able to realize the immense joy of His presence; and that He remained a long time with her, in order to console her.’
Let us, who love this blessed Mother and have seen her offer up her Son on Calvary for our sake, let us affectionately rejoice in the happiness wherewith Jesus now repays her, and let us learn to compassion ate her in her dolours. This is the first manifesta tion of our risen Jesus: it is a just reward for the unwavering faith which has dwelt in Mary’s soul during these three days, when all but she had lost it. But it is time for Him to show Himself to others, that so the glory of His resurrection may be made known to the world. His first visit was to her who is the dearest to Him of all creatures, and who well deserved the favour; now, in His goodness, He is about to console those devoted women, whose grief is, perhaps, too human, but their love is firm, and neither death nor the tomb have shaken it.

Yesterday, when sun-set proclaimed to the Jews the end of the great Sabbath and the commencement of the Sunday, Magdalene and her companions went into the city and bought perfumes, wherewith, this morning at break of day, they purpose embalming the Body of their dear Master. They have spent a sleepless night. Before the dawn of day, Magdalene, Mary (the mother of James), and Salome, axe on the road that leads to Calvary, for the sepulchre is there. So intent are they on the one object, that it never occurs to them, until it is too late, to provide for the removing of the heavy stone, which closes the
1 Life of St. Teresa, written by herself: in the Additions. See in the translation by David Lewis, 1870.
1 St. Mark, xvi. 6.
2 ibid. 8. ‘ St. Luke, xxiv, 5, 6, 7.
‘St Mark, xvi. 7.
sepulchre. There is the seal, too, of the Governor, which must be broken before they can enter; there are the soldiers who are keeping guard: these difficulties are quite overlooked. It is early daybreak when they reach the tomb. The first thing that attracts their attention is, that the stone has been removed, so that one can see into the sepulchre. The Angel of the Lord, who had received the mission to roll back the stone, is seated on it, as upon a throne; he thus addresses the three holy women, who are speechless from astonishment and fear: ‘Be not affrighted! Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified: He is risen, He is not here.’ Then encouraging them to enter the sepulchre, he adds: ‘Behold the place where they laid Him ! ‘1

These words should fill them with joy: but no; their faith is weak, and, as the Evangelist says, ‘a trembling and fear seize them.’2 The dear Remains they are in search of are gone: the Angel tells them so: his saying that Jesus is risen fails to awaken their faith in the resurrection: they had hoped to find the Body! While in the sepulchre, two other Angels appear to them, and the place is filled with light. St. Luke tells us that Magdalene and her companions ‘bowed down their heads,’ for they were overpowered with fear and disappointment. Then the Angels said to them: ‘Why seek ye the Living with the dead? flemember how He spake auto you, when He was yet in Galilee, saying: “The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of~ sinful men, and be cruci fied, and the third day rise again!” “ These words make some impression upon the holy women, and they begin to remember something of what our Lord had said of His resurrection. ‘Go!’ said one of the Angels, ‘tell His disciples and Peter, that He is going before you into Galilee.’4
1 St. Luke~ xxiv. 11.
2 ~ John, xx. 2,
‘.i’bid. 8.
‘Ibid. 6.
The three Women leave the sepulchre and return with haste to the city; they are full of fear, and yet there is an irresistible feeling of joy mingled with their fear. They relate what they have seen: they have seen Angels, and the sepulchre open, and Jesus’ Body was not there. All three agree in their account; but the Apostles, as the Evangelist tells us, set it down to womanish excitement: ‘Their words seem idle tales and they believe them not.’1 The Resurrection, of which their divine Master had so clearly and so often spoken, never once crosses their mind. It is particularly to Peter and John that Magdalene relates the wonderful things she has seen and heard; but her own faith is still so weak! She went with the intention of embalming the Body of Jesus, and she found it not! She can speak of nothing but her disappointment: ‘They have taken away the Lord out of the sepulchre, and we know not where they have laid Him ! ~2

Peter and John determine to go themselves to the sepulchre. They enter. They see the ‘linen cloths lying ‘3 upon the slab whereon the Body of Jesus had been placed; but the Angels who are now keeping guard in the holy cave appear not to them. Saint John tells us, that this was the moment he received the faith in the resurrection: he believes.4 We are now merely giving the history of the events of this greatest of days, in the order in which they occurred: we will afterwards meditate upon them more leisurely, when the holy Liturgy brings them before us.

So far, Jesus has appeared to no one save His blessed Mother; the holy women have only seen the Angels, who spoke to them. These heavenly spirits bade them go and announce the resurrection of their Master to the disciples and Peter. They are not told
‘St. John, xx.
to bear the message to Mary; the reason is obvious: Jesus has already appeared to His Mother, and is with her while all these events are happening. The sun is now shedding his beams upon the earth, and the hours of the grand morning are speeding onwards: the Man-God is about to proclaim the triumph He has won for us over death. Let us reverently follow Him in each of these manifestations, and attentively study the lessons they teach us.

As soon as Peter and John have returned, Magdalene hastens once more to the tomb of her dear Master. A. soul like hers, ever earnest, and now tormented with anxiety, cannot endure to rest. Where is the Body of Jesus? Perhaps being insulted, by His enemies? Having reached the door of the sepulchre, she bursts into tears. Looking in, she sees two Angels, seated at either end of the slab on which her Jesus had been laid. They speak to her, for she knows not what to say: ‘Woman! why weepest thou? ‘—‘ Be cause they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid Him.’ Without waiting for the Angels to reply, she turns as though she would leave the sepulchre; when lo! she sees a man standing before her, and this Man is Jesus.’ She does not recognize Him: she is in search of the dead Body of her Lord; she is absorbed in the resolution of giving it a second burial! Her love distracts her, for it is a love that is not guided by faith; her desire to find Him, as she thinks Him to be, blinds her from seeing Him as He really is,—living, and near her.
Jesus, with his wonted condescension, speaks to her: ‘Woman! why weepest thou :~ Whom seekest thou?’ Magdalene recognizes not this voice; her heart is dulled by an excessive and blind sentiment of grief; her spirit does not as yet know Jesus. Her eyes are fixed upon Him; but her imagination persuades her that this man is the gardener, who has care of the ground about the sepulchre. She thinks within herself, ‘This perhaps, is he that has taken my Jesus!’ and thereupon she thus speaks to him:

1 St. ~ohn, xx. 15,
2.Ibid, 16, ~ .Thid, 17,
‘Sir, if thou hast taken Him hence, tell me where thou hast laid Him, and I will take Him away.1 How is our loving Redeemer to withstand this? If He praised her for the love she showed Him in the pharisee’s house, we may be sure He will now reward this affectionate simplicity. A single word, spoken to her with the tone of voice she so well understood, is enough:—’ Mary ! ‘—‘ Master! ‘ exclaims the delighted and humble Magdalene.2 All is now clear: she believes.
She rushes forward: she would kiss those sacred feet, as on the happy day when she received her pardon; but Jesus stays her; this is not the time for such a demonstration of her affection. Magdalene, the first witness of the resurrection, is to be raised, in reward of her love, to the high honour of publishing the great mystery. It is not fitting that the blessed Mother should reveal the secret favour she has received from her Son: Magdalene is to pro claim what she has seen and heard at the sepulchre, and become as the holy Fathers express it, the Apostle of the very Apostles. Jesus says to her:
‘Go to my brethren, and say to them: I ascend to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.”
The second apparition of Jesus, then, is to Mary Magdalene: it is the first in testimony of His resurrection, for the one to his blessed Mother was for an other object. The Church will bring it before us on the Thursday of this week, and we will then make it the subject of our meditation. At present, let us adore the infinite goodness of our Redeemer, who, before
1 St. John, xx. 18.
2 St. Matth. xxviii. 9.
seeking to fix the faith of His resurrection in them that are to preach it to all nations, deigns to recompense the love of this woman, who followed Turn even to the Cross, was faithful to Him after His death, and loved Him most, because most forgiven. By thus showing Himself to Magdalene, Jesus teaches us, that He is more anxious to satisfy the love He bears His faithful creature than to provide for His own glory.

Magdalene loses no time in doing her Master’s bidding. She hastens back to the city, and having come to the disciples, says to them: ‘I have seen the Lord, and these things He said to me.” But as yet, they have not faith; John alone has received that gift, although he has seen nothing more than the empty sepulchre. Let us remember, that, after having fled like the rest of the disciples, he followed Jesus to Calvary, was present at His death, and was made the adopted son of Mary.

Meanwhile, Magdalene’s two companions, Salome, and Mary the mother of James, are following her, though slowly and at some distance, to Jerusalem. Jesus meets them, and greets them, saying; ‘All hail.’2 Overcome with joy they fall down and adore Him, and kiss His sacred feet. it is the third apparition; and they that are favoured with it, are permitted to do what was denied to the more favoured and fervent Magdalene. Before the day is over, Jesus will show Himself to them whom He has chosen as the heralds of His glory; but He first wishes to honour those generous women, who, braving every danger, and triumphing over the weakness of their sex, were more faithful to Him, in His Passion, than the men He had so highly honoured as to make them His Apostles. When He was born in the stable at Bethlehem, the first he called to worship Him in His crib, were some poor shepherds; He sent his Angels to invite them to go to Him, before He sent the star to call the magi. So now,—when He has reached the summit of His glory, put the finish to all His works by His resurrection, and confirmed our faith in His divinity by the most indisputable miracle,—He does not begin by instructing and enlightening His Apostles, but by instructing, consoling, and most affectionately honouring, these humble but courage ous women. How admirable are the dispensations of our God! How sweet, and yet, how strong! 1 Well does He say to us by His prophet: ‘My thoughts are not your thoughts ! ‘2

‘W~ad. viii. 1. ‘Is. lv, 8, ‘1, Ocr. i. 24,
Let us suppose, for a moment, that we had been permitted to arrange the order of these two mysteries. We should have summoned the whole world, kings and people, to go and pay homage at the crib. We should have trumpeted to all nations the miracle of miracles, the resurrection of the Crucified, the victory over death, the restoration of mankind to immortality! But He who is ‘the power and wisdom of God,” Christ Jesus our Lord, has followed a very different plan. When born in Bethlehem He would have for His first worshippers a few simple minded shepherds, whose power to herald the great event was confined to their own village: and yet the birthday of this little Child is now the era of every civilized nation. For the first witnesses of His resurrection, He chose three weak women; and yet, the whole earth is now, at this very moment, celebrating the anniversary of this resurrection. There is in it a mysterious feeling of joy unlike that of any other day throughout the year: no one can resist it, not even the coldest heart. The infidel who scoffs at the believer, knows at least that this is Easter Sunday. Yea, in the very countries where paganism and idolatry are still rife, there are Christians whose voices unite with ours in singing the glorious Alleluia to our risen Jesus. Let us, then, cry out as Moses did, when the Israelites had crossed the Red Sea, and were keeping their first Pasch: ‘Who, O Lord, is like unto Thee, among the strong ?‘ 1 We will resume our history of the resurrection, when we come to the hour of each apparition. It is now time for us to unite with the Church in her Office of Matins. She has spent the greatest part of the night in administering that holy Sacrament of regeneration, which gives her a new people; and now she is about to offer to God the wonted tribute of her praise.
1 Exod. xv. 11.

The Office of Lauds being over, the faithful retire from the church: but they will soon return, to assist at the solemn Sacrifice of the Paschal Lamb. In order the better to understand the holy Liturgy of our Easter, we will again imagine ourselves to be in one of the cathedral churches of the 4th or 5th century, where the sacred rites were carried out in all their magnificence.

The city is filled with strangers. The priests of the country churches have come to assist at the consecration of the oils, at the administration of Baptism, and at the grand functions of Easter. The inhabitants are not allowed to undertake any journey that would prevent them from assisting at the Offices of the Church; for we find several councils forbid ding even the nobles to go beyond the city walls until the Paschal solemnity is over. We shall not
1 Is. xlii. 3.
be surprised at these regulations, if we remember what we have already stated with regard to Palm Sunday, how the monks of the East, who had obtained permission from their Abbots to leave their monasteries at the beginning of Lent, and retire into the desert, there to live with God alone, were obliged to return for the celebration of Easter. St. Pachomius, – who was the first to organize, in the desert of the east, a congregation or confederation of all the houses that had sprung from his celebrated monastery of Tabenna, – insisted upon all his disciples convening every year in this central monastery, for the purpose of celebrating the 1~esurreet.ion. On some of these occasions, there were to be seen encamped around Tabenna as many as fifty thousand monks.

Even now, notwithstanding all the deplorable in juries done to the spirit of Christianity by heresy, our churches are crowded on the great Paschal solemnity. Even they that never think of entering the House of God on any other day of the year, make an exception for Easter Sunday, as though they could not resist the i)o~~’er of the great mystery of Jesus’ triumph. It is the last remnant of faith left in these men; it keeps them from total forgetfulness of their religion. When their last hour comes, their celebration of Easter, though so imperfect, may draw down upon them the mercy of their Saviour ; but if their Easters have been but so many neglects of the Sacraments, what consolation, what hope, can they yield? those slighted invitations to mercy will then cry out for vengeance, and give to the Resurrection the awful triumph of justice !—But these are thoughts far too sad for our festivity: let us turn them into a prayer to our risen Jesus, that He ‘break not the bruised reed, nor quench the smoking flax ; ‘ I let us delight in the thought of those bright days of the past, when faith made Easter so glorious a sight for heaven and earth; let us exult in the reflection, that the same faith is still that of millions, and will be so till the end of time!

And before going to Mass, let us aid our enthusiasm by a remembrance of the Martyrs of Easter. Yes, the grand solemnity was once consecrated by the blood of Saints, and the Church chronicles the event in her Martyrology. In the year 459, Easter Sunday fell upon the 5th of April. The Church in Africa was then suffering persecution from the Vandals; they were Arians, and had been brought into the country by their kings, Genserie and Hunnerio. The Catholics of the city of Regia were assembled in the church for the celebration of the Resurrection, and, in order to keep out the heretics, they had closed the doors. The Arians, marshalled by one of their priests, forced an entrance, and rushed in, brandishing their swords. At that very moment a lector was in the ambo, singing the Alleluia; an arrow, shot by one of the barbarians, pierced his throat; he fell, and finished his song in heaven. The Vandals fell upon the faithful, and the church streamed with blood. They dragged others from the holy place, and executed them by order of their king. The little children were the only ones spared. Let us unite with the Church, who honours these noble victims of Easter on the 5th of April. Dom Gueranger 1870

Consider first, how the soul of our Saviour, immediately after his death, descends into the lower parts of the earth to visit and comfort the spirits of the just, to discharge them from their long confinement, and to change their prison by his presence into a paradise of delights. O how happy, how joyful a day was this to all the patriarchs and prophets when they were first blessed with the sight of him for whom they had longed for so many ages! How glorious was the sight of his triumph over all the powers of darkness - of his breaking down the strongholds of hell, and giving a plenary indulgence to as many souls as were capable of it, by their having died in the true faith and in the state of grace! In the mean time, whilst the soul of our Lord is exercising this charity, the blind malice of his enemies suggests to them to make fast his sepulchre and to guard it with soldiers, under pretence of preventing his disciples from stealing away his body and then publishing that he was risen from the dead. But  O how vain are all the projects of men against the decrees of God! All this industry of theirs only serves to put the resurrection of our Lord out of all dispute, by rendering it absolutely impossible for his disciples (had their terrors and troubles allowed them so much as the first thought of such an unheard-of enterprise) to steal him away though they had ever so great a desire of it. So true is that of the wise man, Prov. xxi. 30, 'There is no wisdom, there is no prudence, there is no counsel against the Lord.’

Consider secondly, how early in the morning on Easter Sunday, being the third day, the day appointed for our Lord’s resurrection, his soul returns in triumph from the regions below, and, entering into his sacred body, imparts to it a new and immortal life, and, instead of the winding-sheet in which it had been wrapt up, clothes it now with all the glorious qualities decreed for the bodies of the Saints in a supereminent degree; and so brings it forth without resistance through the monument, (though hewn out of a rock and close covered with a very great stone, fastened down with irons,) unperceived by the guards, who were not worthy to see him in this glorious state. Yet, that they and all the world might know that he was risen indeed, they felt a great earthquake, and an Angel visibly descending from heaven removed the stone that covered the entrance of the monument and sat down upon it. The sight of this bright messenger of heaven carried with it such a terror that the guards became like men dead, and as soon as they were able to recover themselves ran away into the city, publishing the wonders they had seen, till the chief priests and elders stop their mouths with a large sum of money. Rejoice thou, my soul, to see thy Saviour thus victorious over all his enemies, and learn from this great example to bear up with courage under all thou mayest have to suffer from the wickedness of men, trusting in God that he will one day turn all these thy sufferings to thy greater good.

Consider 3rdly, those words of the Psalmist, which are applied by the Church in the office of this day to the resurrection of our Lord ‘This is the day which the Lord hath made; let us be glad, and rejoice therein.’ Ps. cxvii. 24. Yes, Christian souls, if you have taken part in the sufferings of our Redeemer, by the affections of compassion and grief at the sight of all those outrages and torments he endured in the course of his passion, it is just you should rejoice, now the scene is changed, at the sight of his being risen from the dead, victorious over death and hell, and his having entered upon a new and everlasting life, so that he can die now no more nor suffer any more. Rejoice, then, with a holy joy in the Lord, and join with the Church on this day in her repeated Alleluias, because your best friend, your true lover, your dear father, your king, your Lord and God is risen again, and this is the day of his triumph; he is now out of all reach of his enemies, and shall live and reign glorious for evermore. But see, my soul, whether thou art in proper dispositions to celebrate with this holy joy the resurrection of thy Lord. Hast thou endeavoured to die with him in order to rise again with him? Hast thou put off the old man and his deeds? Hast thou crucified the flesh and its lusts? Or does not sin still live and reign in thee? if so, how melancholy a reflection must it be to think that this monster, for the destruction of which Christ died, should still keep thee under slavery, struggling with the worst of deaths, whilst thou art celebrating the festival of thy Saviour’s rising to a new and immortal life.

Conclude, if thou desirest to have a share in the triumphs of thy Redeemer, to imitate his death by dying to thy sins, that so thou mayest also imitate his resurrection, and walk henceforward in the newness of life, after the great model given to thee by Jesus Christ.

Richard Challoner (1691–1781) was an English Roman Catholic bishop, a leading figure of English Catholicism during the greater part of the 18th century. The titular Bishop of Doberus, he is perhaps most famous for his revision of the Douay–Rheims translation of the Bible.

Beloved in Christ,

What a great challenge it is for us this year, to live our hope amidst the suffering of this pandemic, when the sick and dying, the anxious and isolated, the unemployed and impoverished are so burdened and seemingly hopeless.

My secretary and chancellor, who serves as a chaplain in the Texas Medical Center, has buried two victims of COVID19 this week, one of whom was a parishioner in one of our Old Roman Catholic parishes.

My own condition has prevented me from getting around, seeing my doctor, and even gathering with my brother bishops for prayer through online video conferences, so I know something of the toll this pandemic has taken on our people.

Devastating plagues have visited us before.  One hundred years ago during the Spanish flu epidemic, Archbishop Carfora was reported to have said, “our dark night of weeping may last for years, but through it the Almighty will lead us to the morning of our joy”.   

Though apocryphal, the truth of this saying attributed to Archbishop Carfora remains; times of suffering come, but eventually they pass.  Each dark and painful Good Friday is followed by the light and joy of Easter. 

We too, sisters and brothers, will be led to the morning of our joy and we will be stronger, more united, and more able to see the hand of God in our lives.  This long Eucharistic fast has intensified our hunger and thirst for God, and he will, in due time, satisfy us with his own Body and Blood again.

May some of the lessons of this time not be lost on us as a people.  Witness the common vulnerability of rich and poor, powerful and powerless, old and young before this virus.  See how fear has made hoarders and misers of some, and greedy profiteers of others.

Think also however, of the beautiful spirit of selflessness and sacrifice exhibited by healthcare workers, service workers, and neighbours.  The distance created by our isolation from one another, has shone a great light on the solidarity of spirit that has emerged, and that will in turn reveal the Light of Christ in us, shining forth ever more brightly.

At the  Easter Vigil, as the Paschal candle is lit and processed into the Church, may we remember that Christ is our light, hope, and restoration, and that although we’ll not be there to light our own candles from it, we will continue to shine forth that Light as his people through our works of mercy, charity, and self-giving.

Alleluia, Christ is Risen!

+Chris M. Hernández, Archdiocese of California

In today's Gospel we read of the arrival at the tomb of Mary Magdalene and the other women. Yes, they were the first witnesses of the resurrection of the Christ from the dead. Yes, it was they who conveyed the message of the risen Christ to the apostles, to meet Him in Galilee... But notice why they were the first there and thus the first to be honoured by the angel and by Christ Himself...

They had gone to the tomb to perform a solemn duty, to fulfil an obligation, a task, a corporal work of mercy, an act of charity - they had gone to honour His body with respectful care... motivated by love of Him... they had gone to perform a religious rite (to anoint the deceased body)... an act of compassionate adoration (because they cared for Him)... effectively... they went to worship Him.

Their first thought was not for themselves... not for the rebuke of the soldiers, not for the indignation of the religious leaders, not for the ignominy of being associated with Him - Who had been executed for blasphemy and died a criminal's death... Their only consideration was to honour Him Who had been their Master and teacher, Who had taught them He was their friend, their brother, Who had made them cooperators with Him of the presence of God's kingdom... Out of love for Him, their Saviour, Who had forgiven them much, that they might know their Father in heaven and eternal life, they returned manifesting to Him their great love in gratitude for all He had done for them...

Motivated by love of Him - not fear - these women fulfilled the first commandment, "to love God". All their concern and motivation was of Him, though they thought Him dead, Who had been accused of blasphemy and not denied it, but asserted the veracity of the unwitting confession of His detractors - they themselves had confessed Him to be what His teachings, actions and miracles had betrayed! These women, though cognisant of the possible danger that had sent and kept the apostles in hiding, could not themselves be prevented from expressing their love for Him.

What then of us? Yes, no doubt today we will be exhorted to be like these women "apostles of the Resurrection", to proclaim the Good News and bear witness to the Risen Christ in our lives. But to be true witnesses and bearers of the Resurrection life to others, we must first become like these fearless adorers of the love of God made incarnate and manifest in Christ. Like them we must become demonstratively grateful, realising and knowing for ourselves the reality of God's love for us, making true in our everyday lives that adoration we give to Him when we kiss Christ's feet on Good Friday.

I know that Coronavirus has greatly disrupted your lives and that this holy season of Passiontide has been a sore trial without the comfort of being able to worship in our churches and chapels and of the sacraments. But I truly believe this "time out" has been given us to prepare - whether for a great revival in the Faith or for an even greater trial. Whatever the future may hold, one thing is certain; we, the body of Christ, have been presented with a golden opportunity to demonstrate our love for Him. Let us love Him much, Who loves us greater still; let us die and be reborn in Him, that we might show His love in our lives for the salvation of ourselves and others - whatever the future holds.

With my fervent prayers for you all and warmest Paschal greetings, may God bless you all greatly that your love for Him increase by your faith, with hope and united in the supreme and perfect love of Jesus, Our Lord.

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ:

Alleluia! Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! 

On this glorious day when our Lord arose from the grave, we declare the triumph of life over death, of hope over despair.

The Covid19 pandemic has stripped us of everything we hold on to: money, power, earthly beauty and the like. We are subjected to the futility of life apart from God. Our priorities have been obviously redirected. We come to ask ourselves whether the things we consider important are indeed essential. 

In the midst of all these, the Risen Lord greets us: "Peace be with you!" The shalom of God brings wholeness to all of us broken by circumstances beyond our control. Jesus ushers in this peace to give us hope beyond despair, hope for tomorrow, hope beyond the grave, hope for now and eternity. 

Thus, let us remain steadfast in our faith. Christ is risen and he is in control yet! 

May Easter blessings be yours today and always!

+Rommel Banag, Diocese of the Philippines

Χριστὸς ἀνέστη! Ἀληθῶς ἀνέστη!
Surrexit Dominus vere, alleluia!
Et apparuit Simoni, alleluia!

Greetings to you all in the fullness of Easter Joy!

My dearest brothers and sisters in Christ our day of Easter has arrived, the tomb has been smashed and our salvation is at hand!

We are certainly living in strange times. Many churches around the world are shuttered and Christians are once again forced to worship in our homes. Indeed, this has been quite a different way to experience the Sacred Triduum and the Paschal Mysteries for all of us.

However, this is not a new experience for the Christian body as a whole. From the catacombs to communism, Christians have been forced from public worship to the secrecy of their own homes. Yet despite the fear that surrounds us we have always been a people of Faith, Hope and Love. The reality of the joy of Easter burns as bright in our hearts as the paschal fire. The light of Easter dispels all darkness.

It is our task as Catholics to bring this light into our current world of darkness, dispelling all fear and despair, providing hope and love. As we sit in our homes it is our duty to reach out through modern means to those whom we love. Our joy must be their comfort.

So take heart, my brothers and sisters, the victory has been secured by the Lamb and the promise of salvation is ours!

Please be assured of my continued prayers and of my Apostolic blessing. May you have a grace filled Easter as you bask in the glory of the Resurrection. 

+Nioclás Kelly OSF, Diocese of Chicago

Grace and Peace from our Risen Lord 

Today as we Celebrate  the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ it reminds us His triumphant victory over death.  
In spite of fears, worries against the corona virus  the so- called "the silent killer"  . This pandemic  changed our daily routine most especially in our religious practices and tradition. We cannot gather together because of social distancing mandated by our government. 

The same fear that Mary Magdalene experienced when she went to Jesus tomb early Sunday Morning  and taught that the body of our Lord body was stolen.  Covid19 virus was trying to steal our faith. But our perseverance to pray keeps our faith alive . 

May the Risen Christ brings us to Victory to conquer our fears.  Alleluia Alleluia.

Called to Serve,

+Joash D. Jaime [Auxiliary] Diocese of the Philippines 

EPISTLE (I Cor. V. 7-8.) Brethren, purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new paste, as you are unleavened: for Christ our pasch is sacrificed. Therefore let us feast, not with the old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

EXPLANATION St. Paul here exhorts us that we should at this time remove by a good confession and true penance the leaven, that is, the sins we have committed, and partake of the Paschal lamb in holy Communion with a pure, sincere heart; as the Jews were on this day commanded to eat the Paschal lamb with unleavened bread, abstaining on this day from the old leaven.

GOSPEL (Mark XVI. 1-7.) At that time, Mary Magdalen, and Mary the mother of James and Salome, bought sweetspices, that, coming, they, might anoint Jesus. And very early in the morning, the first, day, of the week, they come to the sepulchre, the sun being now risen. And they said one to another: Who shall roll us back the stone from the door of the sepulchre? And looking, they saw the stone rolled back, for it was very great. And, entering into the sepulchre they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed with a white robe, and they were astonished. Who saith to them: Be not affrighted; you seek Jesus of Nazareth; who was crucified: he is risen, he is not here; behold the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples, and Peter, that he goeth before you into Galilee: there you shall see him, as he told you.

Why did the holy women desire to embalm the body of Jesus with slices? Because it was the custom of the Jews to embalm the dead, and as the Sabbath was so near and the time so short that they could not do it before the burial, these pious women procured the spices, and immediately after the Sabbath, hurried in the early morning to the sepulchre, to perform this act of love. We are taught by their conduct, that true love is never indifferent or slow, and what is agreeable to God it does without hesitation.

Why did the angel send the women to the disciples, and especially to Peter? Because the disciples were to announce the Resurrection of Christ to the whole world, and they were now much saddened, and disturbed because of His death. Peter was the head of the apostles, and on account of having three times denied our Lord, he was greatly dejected and faint of heart, and was, therefore, above all to be comforted.

What encouragement does the Resurrection of Christ give us? It encourages us to rise spiritually with Him, and live henceforth a new life, (Rom. VI. 4.) which we do if we not only renounce sin, but also flee from. all its occasions, lay aside our bad habits, subdue our corrupt inclinations, and aim after virtue and heavenly things.

Jesus' Resurrection - Essential to the Christian Faith
Jesus' resurrection from the dead is as essential to the Christian faith as His death upon the cross. Paul writes in his first letter to the Corinthians "For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures" (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). Paul emphasizes the importance of the resurrection with his statement "And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised" (1 Corinthians 15:14-15).

Jesus' Resurrection - An Historical Event?
So, is Jesus' resurrection from the dead an historical event? It is proclaimed throughout the four Gospels as well as ancient correspondence. If these works are the historical documents they claim to be, then they bear witness to an historical event. According to Aristotle's Dictum, these pieces meet the criteria for legitimate historical documents. However, as they describe miraculous events, they are not recognized by secular society as valid testimony. How then will these accounts be validated? Two questions must be asked. First, do the authors of these literary pieces discredit their work, or do their lives give credit to their testimony? Second, do accepted historical authorities corroborate these accounts?

Jesus' Resurrection - The Disciples' Testimony
The men who believed in Jesus' resurrection from the dead, known today as Christ's Disciples, certainly had their testimony, as well as their convictions, tested by those who disbelieved. With the exception of John, every one of these men were put to death. These deaths were excruciating and merciless. More so were their lives, as these men were persecuted by the secular world and suffered great hardship for the spreading of their beloved Gospel, which they proclaimed. Paul gives account in his second letter to the Corinthians "Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked” (2 Corinthians 11:24-27). Paul was later beheaded after suffering in a Roman dungeon for many years. His death was far less brutal then those of his brethren as he was a Roman citizen and often they were not. These men believed the Lord allowed them to suffer greatly, as there is no better evidence of their sincerity and the truth of their message than their endurance and perseverance without any hope of an earthly reward. Every single one of them could have escaped such torture and humiliation by simply denouncing the Resurrection of Christ. This was the goal of their tormentors. However, not one ceded to their persecutors, and this is dramatic evidence in rebuttal of any conspiracy theory.

John Chrysostom (AD 349–407) was a monk at heart and a powerful preacher in practice. He was raised by a widowed Christian mother, and attained a respected secular education in rhetoric and literature in preparation for a vocation in civic government. However, his conversion to Christianity and calling to preach led him to serve the Lord in a pastoral role instead. Following the call of the anchorite, John spent two years in isolation in a cave, with only the Scriptures as his companion. He was marked by this season of life in a profound way. When he subsequently began his pastoral and preaching ministry, his sermons were marked with deeply embedded Scripture, and his powerful oratory led to his nickname Chrysostom, literally “Golden Mouth.”At the end of his life, Chrysostom was banished from his church and ministry (AD 403–7), led by accusations of sedition by Theophilus of Alexandria, that Chrysostom had likened the emperor’s wife to Jezebel, the harlot queen of the OT.

There are some 600 sermons of Chrysostom that have survived, many of which could have been chosen as paradigmatic of the powerful preacher. This particular sermon, however, has proven to be especially influential. Every year, thousands of churches around the world in the Eastern Church tradition read this text in its entirety on Easter Sunday. The homily has been part of the liturgy since at least the ninth century,[2] and continues to this day. The sermon was most likely given after Chrysostom was installed as Archbishop at Constantinople in AD 397, and before his banishment in AD 403. Given the influence of this sermon spreading over 1600 years and vast populations, it has proven its place among a short list of Christianity’s great sermons.

If any be pious and a lover of God,
let him partake of this fair and radiant festival.
If any be a faithful servant,
let him come in rejoicing in the joy of his Lord.
If any have wearied himself with fasting,
let him now enjoy his reward.
If any have laboured from the first hour,
let him today receive his rightful due.
If any have come at the third,
let him celebrate the feast with thankfulness.
If any have arrived at the sixth,
let him in no wise be in doubt, for in nothing shall he suffer loss.
If any be as late as the ninth,
let him draw near, let him in no wise hesitate.
If any arrive only at the eleventh,
let him not be fearful on account of his slowness.

For the Master is bountiful and receives the last even as the first.
He gives rest to him of the eleventh hour even as to him who has laboured from the first. He is merciful to the last, and provides for the first. To one he gives, and to another he shows kindness. He receives the works, and accepts the intention. He honours the act, and commends the purpose.

Enter all, therefore, into the joy of our Lord, and let the first and those who come after partake of the reward.
Rich and poor, dance one with another.
You who fast and you who fast not, rejoice today.
The table is full-laden; feast you all sumptuously.
The calf is ample: let none go forth hungry.

Let all partake of the banquet of faith. Let all partake of the riches of goodness. Let none lament his poverty; for the Kingdom is manifested for all. Let none bewail his transgressions; for pardon has dawned from the tomb. Let none fear death; for the death of the Saviour has set us free.

He has quenched death who was subdued by it.
He has despoiled hades who has descended into hades.
Hades was embittered when it tasted of His flesh, and Isaiah, anticipating this, cried out saying:
Hades was embittered when it met Thee face to face below.
It was embittered, for it was rendered void.
It was embittered, for it was mocked.
It was embittered, for it was slain.
It was embittered, for it was despoiled.

It was embittered, for it was fettered.

It received a body, and it encountered God. It received earth, and came face to face with heaven. It received that which it saw, and fell whence it saw not.
O death, where is your sting?
O hell, where is your victory?

Christ is risen thou art cast down!
Christ is risenand the demons have fallen.
Christ is risen and the angels rejoice.
Christ is risen and life is made free
Christ is risen and there is none dead in the tomb.

For Christ is raised from the dead, and became the first-fruits of them that slept. To Him be Glory and dominion from all ages to all ages. Amen.

The sermon begins with the “If any…” refrain. In this, Chrysostom is calling all in attendance to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ. Not too unlike our own times, even in the third century Chrysostom himself recognised that many folks attended the weekly gatherings only on Christmas and Easter. He routinely urged his congregants to invite all to come consistently by reminding them of the struggles of the people of God throughout Scripture (i.e. Daniel, Paul, etc.) and, not to make excuses that, for example, it was too hot to attend church.[4] Whether one is “pious and a lover of God” as a faithful servant for a lifetime, or one has come “only at the eleventh [hour],” the call to each is the same—come and worship. Chrysostom alluded to the parable of the workers in the vineyard (Matthew 20) as he offered the full inheritance of Christ to all who would call on his name: “For the Master is bountiful and receives the last even as the first. He gives rest to him of the eleventh hour, even as to him who has laboured from the first.”

This theme continued into the next section, “Enter all, therefore, into the joy of our Lord, and let the first and those who come after partake of the reward.” He used festal language to describe the joy of knowing Christ, and inferred that many who had been fasting would now join in the celebration of the Lord’s Supper. However, this Eucharistic language does not by itself argue that the Lord’s Supper must be open to all people, or that in the Lord’s Supper itself one is justified. Rather, just before this Chrysostom explained, “He [Christ] receives the works, and accepts the intention. He honours the act, and commends the purpose.” That is to say, the Lord does not look merely at the outside, but knows the heart (i.e., 1 Samuel 16:7). This is a beautiful image of the Lord’s Supper as a celebration for Christians who, because of the life, death, and resurrection of Christ Jesus, now look forward to the ultimate feast in the age to come—the marriage supper of the Lamb (Revelation 19). At that “banquet of faith…The table is full-laden…The calf is ample” and for all who have trust in Christ Jesus will fully “partake of the riches of goodness.” Faith in Christ is the only grounds for entrance, where “Rich and poor, dance one with another.” This is the banquet of the great King, Christ Jesus, where neither poverty nor transgressions can any longer separate us from God because of the work of our Savior.

Even death itself has been subdued by the work of Christ. Chrysostom alludes to Isaiah 14:9, “Sheol beneath is stirred up to meet you when you come.” It is not abundantly clear what Chrysostom thinks of this text. It could be that he sees Jesus as the one spoken of who goes to Sheol. On the other hand, if Isaiah 14 depicts Sheol as bringing even the greatest kings of earth down to nothing, then it is embittered when Christ defeats death. Whatever the case, Chrysostom used another series of repetitive statements to describe what happened when death tried to swallow up Christ: “It was embittered for it was rendered void, mocked, slain, despoiled, fettered.”

Chrysostom’s sermon moves through this section as a crescendo, to this great line: “It received a body, and it encountered God.” By a juxtaposition of opposites, Chrysostom described the encounter of death with life, of earth with heaven, of created with creator, of is with is not. He quotes 1 Corinthians 15:55, and at that comes to the climax of the sermon with another series of repetition, "Christ is risen." Christ is risen and death is cast down, demons have fallen, angels rejoice, life is made free, and there is none dead in the tomb. Again quoting from 1 Corinthians 15, “In fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.…But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ” (15:20, 23).

There is good reason that this sermon has such staying power. It is a display of Chrysostom’s rhetorical ability par excellence. The repetition of phrases combined with the concision of the homily displays a poetic element in his preaching. However, the use of these rhetorical devices did not rob from the message, but rather built up the celebratory nature of it. After all, this is a homily that is used at the Easter gathering of the church, and what better time to celebrate than at the Easter Sunday![5] Moreover, the sermon builds to the highest point of glorifying the risen Christ, through biblical language, inviting all to hear and respond. While this sermon is a wonderful example of the homiletical power of the “Golden Mouth” preacher, it would be a confusion of authorial purpose to give prominence to this sermon over the Bible itself. Chrysostom himself instructed, “We must take great care, therefore, that the word of Christ may dwell in us richly.”[6] By God’s grace, this sermon was used to proclaim Christ in Chrysostom’s own time, and for a millennium and a half thereafter. Let us all join in with the call of the Golden-Mouthed preacher to celebrate the risen Christ today!

“To Him be Glory and dominion from all ages to all ages. Amen.”

[1] For a helpful and concise biography of John Chrysostom, see Bryan Litfin, Getting to Know the Church Fathers, second edition (Grand Rapids: Brazos Press, 2007).
[2] Panayiotis Papageorgiou, “The Paschal Catechetical Homily of St John Chrysostom: A Rhetorical and Contextual Study,” The Greek Orthodox Theological Review43, no. 1–4 (1998): 93.
[3] This translation is from Vladimir Lossky, The Mystical Theology of the Eastern Church(Crestwood, New York: St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 1976), 247–9. The full Greek text is can be found in the appendix of Papageorgiou, “The Paschal Catechetical Homily.”
[4] See Steven A. McKinion, ed.,Life and Practice in the Early Church: A Documentary Reader(New York: New York University Press, 2001), especially chapter 2, “Assembling the Community: Worship in the Early Church.”
[5] Of course, it should not be lost on the reader that every Sunday is, in the more precise sense, resurrection Sunday whereby the church gathers to worship the risen Christ.
[6] St. John Chrysostom, Six Books on the Priesthood, trans. Graham Neiville (Crestwood, New York: St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 1977), 116.

And when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. And very early on the first day of the week they went to the tomb when the sun had risen. This is how St. Mark begins his narration of what happened that morning, two thousand years ago on the first Christian Easter.

Jesus had been buried. To the eyes of men, his life and message had ended in the most abject failure. His disciples, confused and frightened, had scattered. Even the women coming to anoint him piously, asked one another: “Who will roll away the stone for us, from the door of the tomb?” Nevertheless, St. Josemaria points out, they continue on. You and I, how much do we vacillate? Do we have the same holy determination, or do we have to confess that we feel ashamed as we contemplate the decisiveness, the courage, the daring of those women? Fulfilling God’s will, being faithful to Christ’s law, living our faith consistently, can at times seem quite difficult. Obstacles present themselves that seem insuperable. Nevertheless, God always conquers.

The epic of Jesus of Nazareth did not end with his ignominious death on the Cross. The last word is that of his glorious Resurrection. And Christians, in Baptism, have died and been resurrected with Christ: dead to sin and alive towards God. “O Christ,” we say with our Holy Father John Paul II, “how can we fail to thank you for the ineffable gift which, on this night, you lavish upon us? The mystery of your death and resurrection descends into the baptismal water that receive the old, carnal man, and makes him clean with divine youthfulness itself” (Homily, April 15, 2001).

Today the Church, filled with joy, exclaims: this is the day that the Lord has made: Let us rejoice and be glad in it! This cry of jubilation is prolonged for fifty days throughout Easter time, echoing of the words of St. Paul: If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hid with Christ in God.

It is logical to think—and this is what the Church’s tradition holds—that Jesus, when he rose, first appeared to his Blessed Mother. The fact that she does not appear in the Gospel narratives, with the other women, is, as John Paul II points out, an indication that our Lady had already met with Jesus. “This deduction is also confirmed,” the Pope adds, “by the fact that the first witnesses of the resurrection were, by Christ’s will, the women who had remained faithful at the foot of the Cross, and who therefore were firmer in their faith” (Audience, May 21, 1997). Only Mary had kept her faith fully intact during the bitter hours of the Passion; therefore it seems only natural that our Lord would appear first to her.

We have to always stay close to our Lady, even more at Easter time, and learn from her. With what eagerness she had awaited the Resurrection! Mary knew that Jesus had come to save the world and that, therefore, he had to suffer and die; but she also knew that he could not remain subject to death, because he is Life.

A good way to live the time of Easter is to strive to help others share in Christ’s life, fulfilling with great diligence the new commandment of charity that our Lord gave us on the eve of his passion: By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. The risen Christ now repeats this to each of us. He tells us: truly love one another; strive every day to serve the others; be concerned about the slightest details to make life agreeable to those who live with you.

But let us return to the scene of Jesus as He appears to his Blessed Mother. How happy must our Lady have been to contemplate that most Holy Humanity—flesh of her flesh and life of her life—now fully glorified! Let us ask her to teach us to sacrifice ourselves for the others without being noticed, without even looking for thanks. May we have a hunger to pass unnoticed, so as to possess God’s life and communicate it to others. Today let us address the Queen of Heaven with the greeting proper to the Easter season. Queen of heaven, rejoice, alleluia. / For he whom you did merit to bear, alleluia. / Has risen as he said, alleluia. / Rejoice and be glad O Virgin Mary, Alleluia. / For the Lord is truly risen, alleluia.

Over the past week we have recalled the last events of Jesus’ ministry. The picture seems to be of a man who had tried to take on the system and had ended up tragically losing. He has been betrayed by one of his own followers, deserted by his disciples at the moment of crisis, denied by his most prominent follower, denounced as a false prophet and blasphemer before the leaders of his own nation, before being executed for treason by the occupying power. It was a miscarriage of justice. An innocent man is condemned and a guilty man is released. It has happened before, and it will happen again. Idealism usually ends up being beaten by the system.

But, in this case there is more to the story. After the Sabbath rest, the women come to the tomb to complete the final preparation for Jesus’ burial begun by Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus (two well to do symphasisers who had ensured that he had a proper burial). They find the stone rolled back and the tomb empty. They see a vision of an angel who says to them, “Be not affrighted; ye seek Jesus of Nazareth who was crucified: He is risen, He is not here” (Mark 16:6).

The Gospel accounts of the Resurrection all have the same characteristic, whether they are accounts of appearances to an individual or to a group. The disciples are orphaned, whether by the lakeside in Galilee, in a room in Jerusalem, on the road to Emmaus, on a mountain in Galilee. Suddenly, unaccountably they see Christ present among them. At first they do not recognise him, then they recognise that it is indeed him. Then he vanishes from their sight.

But what does it mean to say, as they did, that Jesus rose bodily from the dead? Much modern Western Christianity plays down the doctrine of bodily resurrection. It sees the resurrection appearances as a picturesque way of describing how the disciples experienced the continuing presence of Jesus after his death. However, this explanation does not make sense within the worldview of the time. First century Jewish thought did not use the term “resurrection” to describe this type of experience. The resurrection of the dead was what would happen at the Last Judgement at the end of human history when the dead would be raised to life to dwell in God’s new world. Before then, they believed (as the Wisdom of Solomon put it) that the souls of the righteous were in the hand of God as they awaited the final resurrection on the last day. Indeed to this day, the prayer of the Church has been that the souls of the faithful departed rest in peace and rise in glory. Rest eternal grant unto them O Lord, and let light perpetual shine upon them. But of no one would it have been said that they had been bodily raised from the dead within history.

Something must therefore have happened (Jesus’ bodily resurrection) to convince Jesus’ disciples that in his case uniquely the resurrection that they all awaited at the end of time had already happened to him in the midst of time. Hence, in him they were already living within God’s new order, although the old order of sin and death would continue until the last day when God would be all in all. 

St. Paul wrote to the Corinthians (some of whom said that there is no resurrection from the dead) in answer to those who asked how are the dead raised up and with what kind of body do they come. He said, “that which thou sowest is not quickened except it die: And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not the body which shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat or of some other grain: But God giveth it a body as it has pleased him, and to every seed his own body…So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption: It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body” (1 Corinthians 15:36-38; 42-44).

“Christ our Pasch is sacrificed. Therefore let us feast, not with the old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth” (1 Corinthians 5:8).

“O God, who on this day through thine only begotten Son hast overcome death and opened to us the gate of everlasting life; do thou follow with thine aid the desires which thou dost put into our minds and by thy continual help bring the same to good effect, through the same Lord Jesus Christ, who liveth and reigneth with thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. Amen.”

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