The power of the Resurrection is the main theme of this Sunday’s readings. Jesus Christ rises, despite His passion, despite his death on a cross, despite His being buried in a tomb, despite the stone, in spite of the presence of the guards. The Father raises His Son from the dead, in the Holy Spirit, demonstrating that Christ now has the keys of death and hell.
What does the resurrection mean for us today? How can it help us to understand better our current situation and the situation of the world?
First of all, in the reading from the Gospel of St. Matthew, the women are asked not once, but twice, to not be afraid. The Angel of the Lord says “Do not be afraid”, and the resurrected Jesus repeats the same words, “Do not be afraid”. Despite the shuttered churches, despite the suspension of publicly-celebrated sacraments, despite the fear of the virus, we are to not be afraid. Christ has vanquished our worst fear, the fear of death.
Second, following on the words “Do not be afraid”, we are to have deep faith in the fact that Jesus won over the most painful realities of self-isolation that exist in the universe: death and hell. By His descent to the dead, Christ liberated the just from the underworld. He brings us the sure and certain hope that even in death, even in the mysterious passage from this world to the next, we are secure in our faith in the Resurrection.
Third, with His resurrection, Christ clearly shows His divinity. In the Gospel of John, we had heard Our Lord say, “I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God”. Christ, the Son of God, shows us the way to the Father. He shows us the way that we can take to reach God – the God who is not just an impersonal being, not some faceless force or energy, but a God who, through Jesus Christ, reveals Himself as Father. In revealing Himself as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, God reveals Himself as a Communion of Persons. So, in this way, our own personhood reveals itself as a great gift, a great challenge, and a great blessing.
Our baptism is the reality that leads us to the possibility of participating in the resurrection of Jesus. Water is a blessing, a font, a source of life – and in this case, it is the origin of life eternal. We are mindful of all the catechumens across the globe who have been baptised on this Easter weekend, and who are now incorporated into Christ and the Church.
May Our Lady, the Mother of the Risen Christ, guide us in our steps. May St. Joseph the Just, Her faithful spouse, also assist us with his intercession.
Christ is truly Risen! Chrystus prawdziwie zmartwychwstał! Surrexit Dominus vere!
(Fr. Pawel Ratajczak, O.M.I., April 12, 2020)