DISCOVERY: EVIL CANNOT HOLD US DOWN, JESUS IS RISEN! – EASTER SUNDAY

For the first time in my decades of celebrating Easter, I woke up this Easter morning without Easter joy, I had Easter gloom. I was already feeling sorry for myself thinking I probably hadn’t fasted enough, walked the stations enough; I faced trials during the Easter Triduum and I failed them all. Perhaps I would have to do another 40 days of sorrow when everyone else is happy. But wait a minute! Neither Mary Magdalene, the other women, the apostles nor the Emmaus disciples had a happy Easter morning, they were struck with gloom. Did you wake up still sad this morning? Good news hit me, and I have to share it with you. While I was pleading to the Trinity in tears for Easter joy it hit me – Evil cannot hold us down, Jesus is risen!

This may sound obvious and simple but look at it again; to make sense of this one act of Resurrection Peter had to narrate the liberating works of Jesus done under the Holy Spirit and the power of the Father. Resurrection is the utmost power of liberation before which all evil bends its knee and our scripture texts today says to all who believe this power is made manifest, not available  but manifest for their Easter joy.

Beloved, ‘believe’ is a verb, it is an action word, it is not a noun. That means you have got to do something, like put in some new yeast that will lift you into the experience of the risen Lord. The disciples ran and thus got to see/hear and rejoice. Beloved I got down on my knees and prayed my rosary-glorious mysteries. Lord, I could never be clean enough to merit Easter joy but to whom shall I go? I will come and weep at your tomb and beloved, behold by the time I finished the first decade gloom banished from my being, by the time I reached the Descent of the Holy Spirit, I was singing ‘Young men and maids rejoice and sing” and by the time I sang the Salve I was shouting ‘Regina Caeli Laetare Alleluia’ and could stop singing all morning in the joy of Mary Magdalene and co.

Beloved where are you with Easter joy? This is not some plastic smile day and I don’t care if the choir sang a boring Gloria or the faces at church showed everything but joy. Search your heart and do something unto the Lord and let that gloom that hangs over you dissipate. For Jesus is Risen, Jesus is truly Risen, Jesus is risen from the dead and since we the church are His body we have risen with Him, evil cannot hold us down. This is our day that the Lord has made.  Do yourself a favour beloved, Rejoice and be Glad! Blessings on your way! Amen