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Easter Sunday, April 20, 2014 (Acts 10:34a, 37-43; Colossians 3:1-4 or 1 Corinthians 5:6b-8; John 20:1-9 or Matthew

28:1-10) Exhaustion often drives the engine by the time Easter rolls around. The increased number of liturgies and their added length make it very hard to say very much or even very effectively. As a result, homilies may not be either the liveliest or the most interesting. Many issues are worth talking about but limited time and large crowds may not allow it. The issues include discussions of the empty tomb and its necessity for speaking about the resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth from the dead. Matthew addresses this issue to some extent by the posting of a guard at the tomb to protect it against any possible claim that he would have risen on the third day. When the soldiers become so shaken with fear, they will later be paid to say that Jesus disciples stole his body in order to explain the empty tomb. John makes no explanation except to say that it was empty, except for the burial cloths. Other issues include considering the witnesses to the resurrection (Hint: There were none!) and how that affected the Christian proclamation of Jesus as the first-born of the dead. We might also wonder whether the disciples of Jesus encountered him after the resurrection in Galilee (as Matthew suggests) or in Jerusalem (as John 20 maintains) or in both places (as John 21 suggests). Matthew and John disagree about when and which people visit the tomb. Matthew says Mary Magdalene and the other Mary go to the tomb as the day was dawning. John mentions only Mary of Magdala while it was still dark. In Matthew both women apparently see the angel remove the stone, while feeling the earthquake. In John Mary discovers the stone removed and runs to tell Simon and the other

disciple about it. Many other details make it impossible to decide much about the events of Easter morning. Paul is not concerned with any of these things, because his experience was only of the risen Christ, except to argue that if Christ is not raised then our faith is empty and we are the worst of fools (1 Cor.15:14). There is no evidence that he ever knew Jesus of Nazareth. His only experience was of Christ Jesus, risen from the dead. Then we have Peters speech in Acts, which probably represents the earliest Christian proclamation. It connects Jesus with the baptism preached by John and concludes with Peter and the others commissioned to bear witness that everyone who believes in (Jesus) will receive forgiveness of sins through his name. In that proclamation Peter said that he and others (chosen by God in advance) ate and drank with Jesus after he rose from the dead. Peter added that the risen Jesus was not visible to all the people. That means one can only see him with the eyes of faith and that has its own implications to add to the puzzle of what we preach and what we are to reflect on as we greet this Easter feast. Paul says we should seek what is above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Think of what is above, not of what is on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. That makes most of the issues mentioned above disappear and frees us to greet this Easter with joy. If we reclaim our roots in the risen Christ, we reclaim what is really important: namely, our union with Christ, who is seated at the right hand of God. Christ is dead. Christ is risen. Christ will come again. Alleluia.

Fr. Lawrence Hummer

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