Easter Sunday
(acts 10:34a.37-43,colossians 3:1-4, john20:1-9)
To See or Seek Love in the Dark
Introduction:
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Risen Christ, I wish you all 'the Feast of Fresh Flowers' which is the meaning of 'Easter'. It is also a time of Fresh Honey in South Sudan as we all know. So I wish you all 'the Feast of Fresh Honey'. Yes, 'This is the day the Lord has made; Let us rejoice and be glad' (Ps 118:24). We celebrate it with pride and jubilation for this season of faith, that is, 'I am the Resurrection and Life; whoever believes in me will live even though he dies' (Jn 11: 25,26). Yes dear friends in Risen Christ, we have been living in Palm Sunday or in Good Friday from 2013. We know that Christ Lord Jesus will raise us all up on the last day, but it is also true in a sense, that we have already risen with Christ. By virtue of the Holy Spirit, Christian life is already a participation in the death and resurrection of Christ. (CCC#1002,#1003) So we strongly believe and experience in our life that Jesus is Lord, He is Risen (Rom 10:9). So let us taste the Fresh Honey, which is Jesus Himself.
Message:
It is good to begin with a story which is appropriate here to begin, which I read in a book. The ancient story is told of a rabbi who gathered all his students together very early in the morning while it was still dark. He told them to pay attention because he had a very important question to ask them. The question was this: how could they tell when night had ended and the day was on its way back.
One student answered: 'could it be when you see an animal and can tell whether it is a sheep or a dog?'
"No" answered the rabbi.
Another student said: 'Could it be when you look at a tree in the distance and can tell whether it is a fig tree or a peach tree?'
"No" answered the rabbi.
After a few more guesses the students demanded: 'Well, then, what is it?'
The rabbi answered, "it is when you look on the face of any woman or man and see that she is your sister and he is your brother. Because if you cannot do this then no matter what time it is, it is still night."
John says, on the first day of the week, very EARLY in the morning, while it was still dark… the word used for early is 'proi' whish was the technical word for the last of the four watches into which the night was divided, that which ran from 3.00 am to 6.00 am. So it was still dark when Mary Magdala came. She could not stay back or away, because the love that she had for Jesus.
We know that we are all living in the dark time of the country (Power crisis, Tribal war, economical crisis, killing of innocents, woman is given as a salary to the soldier, etc). What do we see or seek in this darkness? We need to see god's love that is Jesus himself. This is the only a way to see the love in darkness. The darkest empty tomb and the empty cross is the fulfillment of god's love for us. And if it is true our suffering in the south Sudan also may seem to be empty tomb or cross but the service and ministry of ours may be in the darkness of the time of the country but is the fulfillment of gods love. What St. Paul say in the 2nd reading that in baptism the Christian dies and raises again as the water covers him or her we are covered with many hardships, difficulties, pain disappointment, ect. All these things are like water that covers us but when we emerge from the water it is like resurrected to new life and that is what that we really seek in the dark. Yes let us be the people who are, giving above getting, serving above ruling, forgiving above avenging if we do this in this country then we see in the dark the love that Mary Magdalene saw, john believed and peter proclaimed amen.
Prayer
"It is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me"(Galatians 2:20)
Let us pray that the living presence of the resurrected lord gives us lasting peace and celestial joy amidst the boredom, suffering, pain and tension of our day to day life. Lord helps us to see even in the dark the resurrected messiah in all the brothers and sisters amen.
For the personal reflection
Where we really need to be resurrected (from sin, love, faith, discouragement etc.….. )
What is it that the resurrection of Jesus to you, to me and to the country
Whom to you want to be to experience Jesus? Mary Magdalene, John, Peter.
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Risen Christ, I wish you all 'the Feast of Fresh Flowers' which is the meaning of 'Easter'. It is also a time of Fresh Honey in South Sudan as we all know. So I wish you all 'the Feast of Fresh Honey'. Yes, 'This is the day the Lord has made; Let us rejoice and be glad' (Ps 118:24). We celebrate it with pride and jubilation for this season of faith, that is, 'I am the Resurrection and Life; whoever believes in me will live even though he dies' (Jn 11: 25,26). Yes dear friends in Risen Christ, we have been living in Palm Sunday or in Good Friday from 2013. We know that Christ Lord Jesus will raise us all up on the last day, but it is also true in a sense, that we have already risen with Christ. By virtue of the Holy Spirit, Christian life is already a participation in the death and resurrection of Christ. (CCC#1002,#1003) So we strongly believe and experience in our life that Jesus is Lord, He is Risen (Rom 10:9). So let us taste the Fresh Honey, which is Jesus Himself.
Message:
It is good to begin with a story which is appropriate here to begin, which I read in a book. The ancient story is told of a rabbi who gathered all his students together very early in the morning while it was still dark. He told them to pay attention because he had a very important question to ask them. The question was this: how could they tell when night had ended and the day was on its way back.
One student answered: 'could it be when you see an animal and can tell whether it is a sheep or a dog?'
"No" answered the rabbi.
Another student said: 'Could it be when you look at a tree in the distance and can tell whether it is a fig tree or a peach tree?'
"No" answered the rabbi.
After a few more guesses the students demanded: 'Well, then, what is it?'
The rabbi answered, "it is when you look on the face of any woman or man and see that she is your sister and he is your brother. Because if you cannot do this then no matter what time it is, it is still night."
John says, on the first day of the week, very EARLY in the morning, while it was still dark… the word used for early is 'proi' whish was the technical word for the last of the four watches into which the night was divided, that which ran from 3.00 am to 6.00 am. So it was still dark when Mary Magdala came. She could not stay back or away, because the love that she had for Jesus.
We know that we are all living in the dark time of the country (Power crisis, Tribal war, economical crisis, killing of innocents, woman is given as a salary to the soldier, etc). What do we see or seek in this darkness? We need to see god's love that is Jesus himself. This is the only a way to see the love in darkness. The darkest empty tomb and the empty cross is the fulfillment of god's love for us. And if it is true our suffering in the south Sudan also may seem to be empty tomb or cross but the service and ministry of ours may be in the darkness of the time of the country but is the fulfillment of gods love. What St. Paul say in the 2nd reading that in baptism the Christian dies and raises again as the water covers him or her we are covered with many hardships, difficulties, pain disappointment, ect. All these things are like water that covers us but when we emerge from the water it is like resurrected to new life and that is what that we really seek in the dark. Yes let us be the people who are, giving above getting, serving above ruling, forgiving above avenging if we do this in this country then we see in the dark the love that Mary Magdalene saw, john believed and peter proclaimed amen.
Prayer
"It is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me"(Galatians 2:20)
Let us pray that the living presence of the resurrected lord gives us lasting peace and celestial joy amidst the boredom, suffering, pain and tension of our day to day life. Lord helps us to see even in the dark the resurrected messiah in all the brothers and sisters amen.
For the personal reflection
Where we really need to be resurrected (from sin, love, faith, discouragement etc.….. )
What is it that the resurrection of Jesus to you, to me and to the country
Whom to you want to be to experience Jesus? Mary Magdalene, John, Peter.
fr. Alexander MMI
Wish you all a happy Easter
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