THE MYSTERY OF FAITH
RESURRECTION OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST!
Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again! A blessed Easter to everyone!
The past days have been very tense. The past days have been very tiring. Imagine how we celebrated Holy Thursday and listened to the last wishes, the wishes of a dying God. Imagine how we witnessed the master wash the dirty feet of his apostles. Then came Good Friday and those who were here were moved and cried at the sight of Jesus being crucified like a lamb led to the slaughter. People kissed the cross, but not before wiping it and embracing it tenderly. Then we followed a long somber procession enacting the very burial of the Lord.
Maybe we thought Holy Week is only about these tender, moving and dramatic moments with God. We felt sadness. We felt sorrow. We felt that maybe, it ends there.
Tonight, we are here to proclaim the complete story of Jesus! Jesus suffered, yes! Jesus died, yes! But Jesus is risen and he will come again! Yes, yes, yes!
This is the center of our faith. This is what we believe. This is what it means to follow Jesus. This is our joy and hope. And we proclaim this every time we celebrate Mass as we say: Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again.
This is the mystery of faith and we complete our understanding of its meaning tonight.
What really happened tonight? What is the meaning of all these festive rites? Isn’t the Resurrection difficult to fathom since nobody saw it happen? They saw an empty tomb, but Jesus was not there. People even thought his body was stolen, and Jesus’ enemies in fact, produced this lie to be perpetuated through history.
First, the Resurrection means that Jesus was made Lord. Why do we call him Lord? It is because he was glorified by the Father when he was raised from the dead. Lord of heaven and earth, Lord of history, Lord of pardon, Lord of mercy. Now raised, he will never die again because he is Master.
The title Lord was given to Jesus only after the Resurrection because of his great achievement over the sinister power of death.
Today we celebrate the power of Jesus over death. Dead and risen, he is victor over death. Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again.
Secondly, the Resurrection is Jesus passing on to us his power. What power is this? The power not to be afraid. Listen to the gospel of Matthew. At the Resurrection, two times, not once, but twice, the disciples heard the words: Do not be afraid. First it was the angel. Then it was Jesus Himself who said, Do not be afraid.
Jesus knows that it is fear that destroys our lives. Many of us are governed by fears, some real and some phantom fears. Many people live their lives afraid that they might grow old, or die, or go hungry, or fail. We are afraid for ourselves and for others.
But Jesus has a power beyond any other. Today God displays to us the power not to be afraid because Jesus is our strength. So we say: Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again.
But you see, this power is already working in us. There were many things we thought we could not do, but we did it in these days leading to Easter.
Some people were afraid of going to Confession after many years of absence, and yet, this year finally, we approached the throne of God’s mercy. The lines in the confessional showed God’s power.
We were afraid we cannot forgive, but this Lent, we reconciled with the person who hurt us. When we smiled at that person, it was God’s power at work in us. Someone hurt my feelings a few weeks ago, and I saw that person recently. I looked her in the eye and opened myself to a renewal of friendship…
We were afraid we will forever live in a cycle of sin, and yet, we found a way out. When we said no to vices, to bad habits, to bad influences, it was God’s power energizing us.
We thought there was no hope, until we saw Jesus on the Cross, transforming pain into blessings for us.
Jesus is risen so that we will not be afraid to live with him and for him.
And so today, we proclaim the mystery of faith: Christ has died…
It is the mystery of faith because it is the reminder of what God can do for us. Each time we say it with our hearts, we make Jesus Lord. His power takes over and his blessings flow. Each time we pray it sincerely, we are not afraid because we know, He will help us move from our darkness and death to light and new life.
Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again. This is not only a Mass song. It is a prayer. It is what we truly believe. It gives us power in life.
This is the meaning of the Resurrection and this is the guide of our lives.
When you are happy and blessed…
When you are tired after a day’s work…
When you have problems at home…
When you are attacked by your sickness…
When you are lonely…
When you meet your enemy in the street…
When you are about to get angry…
When you need God’s help…
Pray this Easter song with confidence and experience Jesus as Lord of your life. Be filled with courage to face everything that comes to you.
This is the mystery of our faith. Let us live in the grace of the Resurrection.
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