We so often think about the resurrection of Jesus as a past event.  For some, it is an event that is surrounded by intrigue.  How could the tomb be empty?  What happened to his body?  Did anyone see what happened inside that tomb where the crucified one lay?  For others the resurrection is a past event, in that it happened to Jesus on that first Easter Sunday, in the early hours of the morning.  It was something that God did for him all those years ago and we remember it year after year.  For Christians belief in the resurrection is the corner stone of the Christian faith.  But is it really a past event?  Is it not also a present and a future event?

Pope Francis reminds us that “faith is not an album of past memories; Jesus is not outdated.  He is alive here and now.  Easter is a celebration of the mystery that Jesus is present.  He is here, in both the needy of the world and through the actions of His followers.”

The resurrection of Christ, which we celebrate at Easter in a particular way, is something that, in fact, we celebrate every day.  Whenever life overcomes death against the odds, we have an experience of the resurrection.  Whenever pain, suffering, sickness and conflict arise the Easter response of healing and life is summoned.

Resurrection can be a daily event.  When the death of addiction gives way to the dawn of a new beginning, I experience resurrection.  When the weariness of age and illness gives way to the acceptance of my mortality, I experience resurrection.  When the tears of a broken heart give way to the possibility of loving and living again, I experience resurrection.  When the humiliation of defeat gives way to the acceptance of my own limitation and realisation that my worth is in my human dignity not my ability to win at all costs, I experience resurrection.

The deaths of this life are met by the Lord of life who walks from the tomb with the gift of peace, reconciliation, and the offer of a new beginning.  If the resurrection is a present and future event, then we should call on the Lord of life to visit us now.  We too should invite him into the ‘tombs’ of our hearts, the ‘tombs’ of our wars, the ‘tombs’ of our prejudices, the ‘tombs’ of our hatred, the ‘tombs’ of our illnesses and death.  And there we can await his outstretched hand and his invitation to follow him out of the tomb into new life.

And if the resurrection is a present and future event then we should take that news to the ends of the earth, just as the first witnesses to the resurrection on that first Easter morning were sent – ‘go and tell my disciples that I will meet them in Galilee’.  The risen Lord has gone ahead of us.  Followers of the risen one are called to go forth with him with words of peace, encouragement, healing, and reconciliation.  They are called to actions that gather people, promote unity, and lift the burdens from all who are suffering in any way.  The resurrection is a present and future event.  It is one in which all of us can participate.

By Fr Brendan Reed

Image: Anadolu Agency website, Israel-Palestine conflict

Published: 31 March 2024