Thoughts & Homilies

Easter, 2002 -
March 31, 2002

Very early in the morning as soon as the sun came out and they
dared to go outside, they hastened to the tomb.
The first ones who came were the women, those
who loved him so much and stayed with him faithfully to the end.
They came to the grave of Jesus.
They came laden with linen, oil and perfumes.
They came to give him a proper burial.
The men only came much later after the news of the empty tomb
reached them. They came to see for themselves.

This holy Feast of Easter is really all about Jesus, and yet,
our Gospel today is all about those who came to the tomb.
Something really radical happened to those women and men.
First it happened to Mary Magdalene, then the women, then to John and Peter, then the other disciples and finally to Thomas.
They saw, they believed,
then something quite profound happened to them.

Certainly we know something happened to Jesus.
That is what we are celebrating today.
The tomb was empty.
He rose from the dead.
He overcame darkness and death.
Then he appeared to these disciples, men and women.
He appeared to them a first time, then a second time,
- in the house where they met,
- outside at the lake,
- on the road.
He spoke to them.
He comforted them.
He forgave them.
He empowered them.
And they believed.

You see Easter is about faith.
It is about believing that nothing is impossible for God.
God can even raise the dead.

Years ago before there were electric lights on our city streets, there were municipal lamplighters who would light the gaslamps at dusk, and extinguish them before dawn.
A reporter once asked a lamplighter who was putting out the lamps, if he ever grew tired of his work in the cold, dark night of labor.
"Never am I cheerless," said the old lamplighter "for there is always a light ahead of me to lead me on.."
"But what do you have to cheer you when you have put out the last light?" asked the newsman.
"Then comes the dawn." Said the lamplighter, "Then comes the dawn."
In the first part of our Easter vigil liturgy, we focus on light and darkness, fire and flames and candles that brighten the night.
It's because Jesus is the light of the world, and his resurrection is like the coming of dawn after a long, cold dark night.

So where is Jesus?
The tomb is empty. All four Gospels tell us that.
But where is Jesus today?
The disciples often wondered and would ask him,
"Where are you going, Master?"
Even at the beginning of his ministry when
he first called them to follow,
they said, "Master, where do you stay?"
I guess it's just natural to want to know where those we love are.
Jesus, would say things like
"Come and see" or
"In my Father's house there are many dwelling places.
I go to prepare a place for you."
Jesus at one point told them plainly
that he would return to the Father,
but he also said he would abide with them,
live within them,
through the Holy Spirit.
He would be with the Father, and he would be with those who believe in him.

If you want to know where Jesus is,
those are two good places to look.

These have been dark days for the nation
and painful times for our church, for our people and for our priests.
Where is Jesus today, this Easter 2002?

He is where we are.
He is where the Church is.
Jesus is always where justice is done,
- where sins are forgiven,
- where love is felt,
- wherever people embrace his teachings, his mission, his life.

The tomb is empty, because Jesus is here.

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