Homily for Easter, Mass During the Day, Year A

First Reading: Acts 10:34a, 37–43

Responsorial Psalm: Ps 118:1–2, 16–17, 22–23

Second Reading: Col 3:1–4 or 1 Cor 5:6b–8

Gospel: Jn 20:1–9

Seminarian Residence Chapel, Crowley, TX

        Happy Easter, Brethren! Christ is Risen! Indeed he is Risen! One of my favorite paintings is by Swiss artist Eugene Burnand.[1] He created a vivid image of the apostles in today’s Gospel reading rushing to the tomb of Christ on that very first Easter morning.

Mary Magdalene, the apostle to the apostles, whom Jesus had freed from the grip of demons, had gone to the tomb while it was still dark and found the stone rolled away. Consumed with her love for her savior, she cries out in anguish, not knowing where they have taken his body. The tomb is empty. She rushes to Peter to tell him what she has seen. He will know what to do! “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.” (Jn 20:2) Before Mary has even finished getting the words out, John and Peter jump to their feet and race to the tomb. Burnand painted the youngest apostle John, given the gift of Christ’s mother at the foot of the cross, dressed in white. He never left the Lord’s side. His faith never wavered. John’s brow is furrowed and his eyes are narrowed, a look of anxiety on his face, his cloak streaming behind him. His hands are clasped in prayer. “Why is the body gone? His face seems to say. I saw it placed in the tomb myself! I saw the stone rolled across the entrance. Where did it go?” Peter, the eldest apostle, is painted with his hair pushed up and back by the frenetic pace he is keeping. A black cloak streams in his wake, a sign perhaps of his sin of denying Christ trailing behind him. But unlike John, Peter’s face is smiling and radiant. He is hopeful, his eyes are open and his hand is over his heart. Peter rushes to the tomb, thrilled to hear Mary say it is empty: “Maybe he will be there? Maybe I can beg for forgiveness? I denied him thrice, but never again.” Mary is not in the painting, but she is certainly a part of it. It is her news of the empty tomb that propels Peter and John. One can almost hear the echo of her voice in the background. As they run to the tomb, the day is dawning and darkness is dispelled.

In today’s Gospel reading, John arrives at the tomb first. The stone lies to the side. He peers into the tomb. The burial shroud is there, but no body, just as Mary said. Grave robbers would not have unwrapped the body! The tomb is empty. John’s faith is strong, but he does not know yet what all this means. He hesitates as Peter arrives and he points silently into the tomb. Peter does not hesitate however. He enters the tomb and looks around. Burial cloths, but no body. But wait. The linen head covering. It is not just tossed aside. It has been neatly rolled up. Casually, not in haste. Someone deliberately took time to do this.^[2] Peter smiles and gestures for John to join him. They both know about the raising of Lazarus. But when Lazarus emerged, he was wearing his burial cloths because he would use them again. Jesus left his burial cloths behind because he would not.^[3] This is different. This is not mere resuscitation – this is Resurrection!^[4] The tomb is empty! But none of them has yet been enlightened by the Holy Spirit. They do not yet understand what this all means, so they return home.^[5]

Who are we, Church? We are Mary, loving our savior because of all he has done for us, distraught when we lose sight of him. Jesus’ resurrection is victory over the power of evil in the world. The tomb is empty! We seek the Christ that heals. We are Peter, falling away from Jesus again and again, but still hopeful and seeking redemption. Jesus’ resurrection is victory over the power of sin in our lives. The tomb is empty! We seek the Christ that forgives. We are John, faithful but hesitant to walk alone through the times of darkness in our life. Jesus’ resurrection is victory over death and darkness. The tomb is empty! We seek Christ that lights the way and walks with us. Jesus Christ has won the victory for us and calls us to himself. He does not call us to an empty tomb, but to his mystical body, the holy Catholic Church. We are Mary, we are John, and we are Peter, gifted with faith, hope, and love. Jesus did not reveal his resurrection to the world, but to his disciples, who then proclaimed it to the world. We celebrate today because the tomb is empty! We are his disciples and now we are to proclaim his glorious resurrection to the world today. In the words of St. John Paul the Great, “We are an Easter People and Alleluia is our Song!”[6]

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[1] The Disciples Peter and John Running to the Sepulchre on the Morning of the Resurrection. Eugene Burnand, 1898.

^[2] Francis Martin and William M. Wright IV, The Gospel of John, ed. Peter S. Williamson and Mary Healy, Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2015), 334.

^[3] Stephen K. Ray, St. John’s Gospel: A Bible Study Guide and Commentary (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2002), 370.

^[4] Martin and Wright, 333.

^[5] Martin and Wright, 334.

[6] John Paul II, Angelus, Apostolic Journey to the Far East and Oceania, 3.