Christ is Risen! He is Risen, Indeed! It is with great joy that I greet you on this Easter Morning as we celebrate, once again, Jesus’ triumph over sin and death. In fact, this Mystery is so central to our Faith that we commemorate it week after week, gathering, as we do, on Sunday to be nourished by the Word of God and to receive the gift of His Body and Blood in Holy Communion. I would like to extend a special welcome to any visitors who may have joined us today to celebrate Easter Sunday. Please know that you are most welcome to join us on any given Sunday whether you are visiting family or friends in the area, or if you simply live in the neighborhood and are looking for a church to call “home”!
Though it may seem counter-intuitive, I would like to call your attention today to the image of Jesus Christ crucified. On Good Friday we had an opportunity to venerate the cross as an expression of our gratitude and love to Jesus for His Sacrifice and Death which brought us His Redemption. Yet, even as we celebrate the rising of Jesus from the dead, the image of our crucified Lord is validated, not nullified, for we are reminded that his death was very real, that it was not merely an illusion or a staged publicity stunt—the Resurrection does not, for that reason, make our Lord’s Passion any less real or significant. From time to time, I have heard some of my non-Catholic friends speak disparagingly about the Catholic practice of prominently displaying the image of the crucifix (instead of a merely empty cross) throughout the year in our homes, schools, even in our churches. To be sure, this criticism is leveled out of a misunderstanding about the role of the cross in our faith. We don’t believe Jesus’ mission ended at Calvary, but neither do we believe that the Sacrifice he offered there is to be lightly brushed aside as insignificant merely because the resurrection followed 3 days later. Rather, even in our joyful celebration of the Resurrection, we are mindful that the Lord who had given himself up totally and completely for the sake of the Church is the same one who rose triumphant over the power of sin and death. This consideration calls to mind the words of St. Paul in his first Letter to the Corinthians, “we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.” (1 Corinthians 1:23)
May the Lord, crucified and risen, help you to know the totality of His Love for you during this Easter season and through the whole year.
-Fr. Joseph Totton