I HAVE SEEN THE EMPTY TOMB!!!

HOMILY FOR THE SOLEMNITY OF THE RESURRECTION OF THE LORD

Rev. Fr. Ezekoka Peter Onyekachi

He has risen. Yes, the King of kings is alive. I have seen the empty tomb and that is the greatest confirmation that he has risen. He has even spoken to me that I should go ahead of him to Galilee, where he will meet with me together with other Christians. There we shall receive a reinvigoration from Him. Oh Yes, am happy that it never ended in death. After suffering comes glory. After death comes resurrection. After misery comes joy. The joy in my heart is unquantifiable that the saviour has risen. Since he is risen and alive, I am sure of my own resurrection and liveliness. Because He lives I can face tomorrow. Because he has conquered death, I can battle with death and conquer it. Death has no power again. The Sequence rightly states it: death and life were locked in a unique struggle. Life’s captain died; now he reigns, never more to die. I am sure that you too have seen the empty tomb. So tell me: what did you see therein? For me, I made these two major significant experiences:

·        I saw the tomb of the now risen Christ

·       I saw the cloths which once covered His head and limbs

The tomb

The major reason why the tomb was found empty was that the person who was buried there had risen from the dead. He left the tomb, and in addition appeared to numerous people, individually and in groups. This return to life is a proof that Jesus is the messiah. Thus the Scripture has been fulfilled: for you will not leave my soul in hades nor will you suffer your holy one to see corruption (Psalm16:10). It was actually on the first day of the week. Mary had gone to the tomb in the early hours of the morning, but discovered that the stone had been rolled away. She hurriedly ran back to inform Peter and John about the experience. Mary was sure of one thing. Since the stone was rolled away, someone must have gone in there and has stolen the body of Christ. In anxiety,, they both ran to witness this. When the two finally reached the tomb, they saw exactly what the woman saw but they went an extra mile to enter into the tomb. Lo and behold, it was empty. Christ was no longer in there. However, at this moment, their minds were still ignorant of the fact that he has risen. Their belief at this moment was in connection with what the woman told them. They believed that the tomb was empty really.

I can imagine the numerous thoughts they might have been entertaining about the empty tomb. However, they understood this more when Christ appeared in the evening to all of them (cf. John 20:18-23). You know what? That tomb was empty that the tomb of our worries might be empties. But do you know how that stone was actually rolled away? One can imagine the commotion in that environment that night. The guards were ready and had their weapons to ward off any intruder who might come to steal the body. Suddenly, they were startled in the darkness of the morning by a vision of angels descending to the tomb and rolling away the stone. They could not fight again. The brave people were waved out. They took to their heels at this vision of the supernatural power of God (cf. Mtt. 28:2-4). This is what happens when the Lord comes to roll away that stone that has imprisoned us. Even those persons that keep watch so that we remain perpetually in bondage will have no option than to flee in fear.

The Cloths

When Peter reached the tomb and entered,, he saw the linen cloths lying, and the napkin, which had been on Jesus’ head rolled up in a place by itself. What does this mean? He rose, but left the cloths with which he was buried; but however respected those clothing for they were useful for his burial. That resurrected body is glorious. He is no longer bound by human needs. He has beyond the need for cloths. This re-enacts the state of man before creation; a state when mankind needed no clothing but had everything else. The resurrected body of Christ is a proof that matter is matter and spirit is spirit. In death, even if we are buried with the most beautiful of cloths, we need them not in the resurrection, for our clothing would become the glory of Christ. The resurrection of Jesus was not a return to his previous condition of life.

As those who are rising with Jesus, we should not return to our previous life of sin. We should do away with everything that can cause us distractions. That is when we can experience the power of the resurrection. St. Peter, in the First Reading (Acts 10:34a,37-43) who is the pre-eminent preacher of the empty tomb certifies it to us that Christ had risen from the dead. No longer did he stop in seeing and believing that the tomb was empty, but that he was not stolen, but rose out of the power of Christ. This power is able to cleanse us from our sins. Believing in Christ makes us to achieve pardon from our sins, Peter advocates. If then we have this power, we must seek that which is above, St. Paul admonishes us in the Second Reading (Col. 3:1-4). Christ is seated at the right hand of God. And so, anyone who beholds him will join him to appear in glory when his/her life on earth is ended.

The tomb could not hold Jesus, and the evil powers of this world were unable to stamp out the truth of his eternal existence. To experience this power that transforms the life of Christians is to live those cloths and rise with our glorified bodies. Our prayers must go hand in hand with the prayer of Paul as he wrote to the Philippians: that I may know Christ and the power of his resurrection, and may share in his suffering, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead (Phil. 3:10-11). To rise is to leave our tombs and our burial linens. We are complacent in so many ways of living that present themselves even unconsciously to us as tombs. We must rise above these distractions, anxieties, evil ways of living, leaving behind everything connected to the tomb so as to move on with Christ. Only those who have believed in this power are permitted to be in that closed room in eager waiting for the appearance of Christ who comes to say to us: Peace be with you.  It is this peace I wish you today. I wish you also a resurrection out from your tombs of difficulties, of childlessness, of poverty, of sin, of infidelity. Yes! He has risen, and I have risen with him, as you have also risen with him. HAPPY EASTER. God bless you.