Came to Believe...

From the Catholic Liturgy for Easter Sunday, April 21, 2019. Gospel: John 20:1-9. Theme: Coming to Believe…

Today's awesome celebration places before us the central truth of Christianity:  the real, historical, physical Resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth. It’s a strange thing, indeed, to believe that a man who was tortured, killed and buried, has risen from the dead to more a powerful, glorious and real life.

It seems to impossible to take it at face value. People die and are buried. They do not then suddenly rise up out of the grave!  As a matter of fact, this claim seems so foolish that people have tried to raise objections to the Resurrection story ever since it first happened. But the evidence of the empty tomb and the eye-witness experience of the disciples is just too strong to ignore.

As we heard in this morning’s Gospel the tomb of Jesus was found empty about 36 hours after he was buried.  And each one of us here today are very much like Mary Magdalen, Peter and John on that first Easter Sunday. We have been told that Jesus is risen, but we have not seen it for ourselves. We have evidence that it could be true, but it seems so unbelievable.  And so, like them we also have to pass through a process of coming to believe…

Perhaps in this process of coming to believe we might be like John who saw the empty tomb and believed right away.  He had no need for further proof or evidence.  He was Jesus’ best friend and the only one of the twelve apostles who stood faithfully by Him, following Jesus to his trial and standing at the foot of His cross with the Blessed Mother on Good Friday. His love and fidelity was rewarded with this gift of faith.

But I think that most of us are more like Peter, who came to believe in a series of steps. He had witnessed all that Jesus had done, he had seen the miracles – the blind given sight, the deaf being able to hear, the paralyzed getting up and walking. But still…this news of Resurrection seemed so impossible. 

He listened to what Mary Magdalen had to say and then he ran – not walked but ran - to the tomb to check out the evidence. He was eager to investigate. Afterwards, he went home and pondered these things. We can be sure He prayed, asking God for the light to understand. He would go on to become the boldest preacher of the Resurrection, the first Pope, and a martyr for the Risen Lord Jesus Christ!

Do we have this eagerness of Peter? His urgency to check it all out and come to believe? Have we followed his example? Do we take up the Gospel and really read it with our hearts as well as our eyes, or do we just listen to the same old story year after year? Do we reflect on the eye-witness experiences the Gospels record, taken from those who personally saw and touched and spoke and ate with the Risen Lord Jesus?  Do we realize that these are historical facts and not simply Christian fairy tales? Are we praying for the light to see and to believe?

Faith in Jesus, in the Resurrection is a gift. It is not something we can make happen, nor is it something we can purchase or earn. We can spend year after year celebrating Easter in our church and in our homes with our family and friends, but still feel unsure, doubtful inside. We have to come to believe and to know that there is One Who is greater than ourselves Who can overcome whatever doubts we have. And then we must take a step forward in trust, turning our lives, our minds, our hearts and our wills over to this One Whom we call the Risen Lord.

And we can be quite sure that He’s here among us right now...ready and willing to touch and transform those who

·       open their minds to the truth about WHO he really is…

·       who open their eyes to the evidence of WHAT he can do…

·       and who open their hearts to the transforming power of His love.