Happy
Easter! A time of new beginnings!
Easter
Baskets – the Lenten fast is over – time to eat!
Easter
Eggs with festive colors – like chicks, Christ has come out of the tomb
Easter
bunnies – spring babies – new life
Easter
outfits and Easter parade – new garments received by newly baptized
All
these signs point to one thing – the Resurrection.
Amazingly
– the one who was dead now lives. How can this be?
What
is the Resurrection?
-
Some say it is a metaphor – Jesus was still alive in their hearts and
minds. He lives on in memory.
-
Some – another way to speak of nature after the death of winter, like
caterpillars to butterflies and frozen earth to green shoots.
-
Some – his legacy lives on. Jesus will live on, just like the writings
of Shakespeare on the music of Beethoven.
Nice – but we
believe in something more – That he physically rose from the dead – Why? What
is the evidence?
1) The Tomb was empty. Where is He? If
the authorities took His Body, why not show it?
If robbers – why did they leave behind the cloths, the only things of
value?
2) He was seen on 11 occasions, once by
over 500 people. Some say a hallucination – for 500???
3) The disciples were never the same.
They left the Upper Room never to return. All except John would die a violent
death – John in exile. Would you give your life for a made-up story?
4) It is still happening! Over 1 Billion
Catholics in the world. And the Faith is still being passed on.
See now – we
come to the decision point
Is he who he said He is –
the Son of God?
Was he crazy or dangerous –
of did he speak the truth?
If he did – what does that
mean for my life?
Did He Truly Rise from the
dead? If he did not, it’s time for me to get a real job and time for us to close
and sell St. Columba Church!
But if He did – and I
believe He did - it changes everything!
How I look at my life – as
a gift from God.
And how I look at death –
a passing to eternal life.
It changes what I do with
my life, how I speak to others, where and how I work, what I read, what I watch
on TV, what I view on the Internet, how I treat the poor, the aged, the sick,
the immigrant, the unborn.
It changes everything!
St.
Augustine once said – I can now catch sight of my homeland from afar - How do I
get there? The One who is our Goal came to us. He brought us the plank to make
our passage.” And now with St. Thomas we can say – My Lord and My God!”
A time of
new beginnings! Happy Easter!!!
