HOMILY FOR EASTER SUNDAY
REV. FR. PETER ONYEKACHI EZEKOKA
Most of us are probably aware of the next step that’s being made in mobile technology. 5G, following on from 4G and 3G, promises far higher internet speeds than previous technologies. People are already marvelling at the 5G download speed, and are looking forward to connecting with a single application to all the smart things in our cities, homes, factories, healthcare facilities and so on. The prospect of 5G making life easier, smarter and more automated is mouthwatering, although its introduction will undoubtedly impact on our lives. Lots of conspiracy theories revolving around 5G technology have arisen. Some people are excited, some people are anxious, while others don’t care either way. Now, who would have predicted decades ago where we would be with mobile technology?
To draw a parallel, the Resurrection faith which we celebrate at Easter supplies us with another form of 5G that impacts massively on our physical lives as well as our spiritual lives. If Christ had not risen from the dead, then is our proclamation vain and our faith is also vain….and you are still in your sins (1 Cor. 15:14.17). An appreciation of the major locations of the physical journey Our Lord made in His Passion may serve to enhance our understanding of the deep spiritual import of the Passion. The events of the Passion and resurrection of our Lord are found in these 5 ‘Gs’ - Gethsemane, Gabbatha, Golgotha, Grave and Galilee.
The 1st ‘G’ opened in Gethsemane (Matt. 26:36) where our Lord was in agony, prayed in tears and was disappointed by His disciples. It mirrors for us our own moments of frustration and disappointment over events and persons.
The 2nd ‘G’ was at Gabbatha (John 19:13), the stone pavement, where our Lord was judged, ridiculed, flogged and finally sentenced to death by crucifixion. It mirrors for us those moments of shame, wretchedness and loss, when the problems facing us appear to be insurmountable.
The 3rd ‘G’ is Golgotha (John 19:17), “the place of the skull” where our Lord was crucified and died. It mirrors for us those moments when we have been overwhelmed by evil circumstances beyond our control.
The 4th ‘G’ is the Grave, the tomb of burial (Matt. 27:60), where our Lord’s physical body was wrapped in a linen cloth. It mirrors for us those moments of alienation, restriction and imprisonment (of whatever kind), those times when all hope seems to have been lost.
The 5th ‘G’ is Galilee. On the first day of the week, early on the morning of the resurrection, Mary Magdalene was given a message by an angel and by the Lord: He has risen from the dead, and now, He is going before you to Galilee; it is there you will see him…Go and tell my brothers, they shall see me in Galilee (cf. Matt 28:7.10).
According to today’s Gospel (John 20:1-9), on the first day of the week when it was till dark, Mary went to the tomb in the early hours of the morning, only to discover that the stone had been rolled away. On seeing that the grave was open, she concluded that the body of the Lord had been removed. She deferred to the authority of Peter and the beloved disciple, John, who ran to confirm her testimony. They saw for themselves that the stone had been rolled away, but unlike Mary, Peter entered the tomb and found it empty. He saw the linen cloth lying on the ground together with the cloth that had been used to cover His head. Like a detective assembling a dossier, Peter noted where the cloths were placed and *how* they had been placed. That was key!
Then the beloved disciple entered, and in that empty tomb he saw and he believed. He believed that Jesus had gone through death and risen to new life. Peter confirmed this resurrection faith (cf. First Reading: Acts 10:34a,37-43) both as a witness to the empty tomb and to the resurrected Jesus who ate and drank with His disciples thereafter. The discarded and folded linens were there not only to prove that the body had not been stolen, but also to indicate that He had cast off the clothing of physical flesh. His Body has gone beyond the need for material adornment. He is no longer in the tomb, constrained in a single location. He is everywhere. All creation now rejoices in the conquest of death and in the new life that the Lord has bought for us as the cost of His own flesh and blood. That particular ‘first day of the week’ became for humanity the ‘first day of the rest of our lives’. We have been reborn in victory over death, and we have been called to rise up and walk in God’s presence for the rest of our days. The Glory of God shines on us. The 5th ‘G’ of Galilee becomes synonymous with Glory, the glory of the resurrection: when I am raised up, says Jesus, I will go before you to Galilee (Matt. 26:32).
As the nominated place for the post-resurrection meeting of the Risen Lord with His disciples, Galilee was flagged up to the apostles and to us today as the place of glory. The meeting took place in joy instead of in tears, in hope instead of in condemnation, and in faith instead of in doubt. The disciples were given a wholly new perspective on, and understanding of, the mission of Christ. The undeniable fact that Christ is risen by the power of the Holy Spirit has a massive impact upon us too. The events of Easter prove to us that Christ is living; living in the Father’s glory but also living in us. St. Paul tells the Colossians (Second Reading: Col. 3: 1-4) and us that you have died, and now the life you have is hidden with Christ in God. The life we live now is the life of Christ in us. It is incumbent upon us that the message of Easter be celebrated constantly within our souls, so that we think, love and act as Christ did.
The Lord is truly risen! The Lord is living and active in every follower who walks in His footsteps.
Happy Easter! May the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ be constantly in our midst. Amen.
God bless you fr.🙏🏾
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