ALLELUIA! ALLELUIA!! HE IS RISEN! ALLELUIA!!!
THE SILENCE OF HOLY OR GLORIOUS SATURDAY
Alleluia! Alleluia!! Alleluia!!! This is our song on this third day of the Paschal Triduum. The most glorious and holy of all night. It is the culmination of Lenten observances and efforts: prayers, penances and works of mercy and charity.
The day begins with the engulfing silence! It was silent. So quiet. The day after Christ died. There was a silence of despair and joy of the hope of the resurrection. There are also times in every Christian´s life when it feels like God is silent. Even King David felt this in Psalm 28:1 when he pleads; “To you, Lord, I call; you are my Rock, do not turn a deaf ear to me. For if you remain silent, I will be like those who go down to the pit.”
The silence of Holy Saturday was so deep with the sense of rest. The Author of life lies lifeless in the tomb awaiting the glorious resurrection that comes with the eternal victory over sins, guilt, shame, death, evil and the devil or Satan himself.
THE FEAST OF NEW FIRE AND LIGHT
It is the holiest night and it begins with the celebration of fire and light, the Paschal Candle, Easter Exulted, the readings, the Gloria and great alleluia that make the night more solemn, the baptism if there is or renewal of baptismal commitment and finally the celebration of the Eucharist as a living and recalling memorial of the Lord´s passion, death and resurrection.
THE HISTORY OF SALVATION
The selected readings are the history of God´s salvific work of redemption. The readings are on the history of our creation Genesis 1:1—2:2; damnation Genesis 22:1—18; the liberation from slavery a prefiguration of our liberation through the baptismal water Exodus 14:15—15; the promise of restoration through the prophets: Isaiah 54:5—14: Isaiah 55:1—11: Baruch 3:9—15, 32—4:4: Ezekiel 36:16—17a, 18—28; and the fulfilment of that restoration through Christ passion, death and resurrection Romans 6:3—11: Matthew 28:1—10.
In between the readings, there are chanting of psalms in praise of God´s salvific works of creation, mercy and restoration along with prayers that expressed the faithful thankfulness of all God the Father´s work in them in Christ Jesus through the action of the Holy Spirit.
EASTER SUNDAY CELEBRATION OF JOY IN ETERNAL LIBERATION
I love this Nigerian Easter praise song: “Magnify” by Mercy Oseghale that goes like this:
“My soul does magnify the Lord,
and my spirit praises his name,
for death could not hold him captive,
even in the grave, Jesus is Lord,
for death could not hold him captive,
even in the grave, Jesus is Lord.”
OUR THEME
This song captures the victory of Easter that we celebrate in Christ Jesus: Our Saviour and Our Lord, who conquers and reigns over all things in the heavens, on the earth and beneath the earth to glory and praise of God the Father through the Holy Spirit.
The victory and glory of Christ through his resurrection is a complete defeat of sin, and its guilt, shame, and death. It is also a complete defeat of evil and the devil or Satan strips of his all power over us.
In other words, in the resurrection of Christ, we, as Christians share in his victory over sin that has death as its consequence and the devil that caused sin and death. The Resurrected Christ conquers for us, sins, guilt, shame, and death, as well as evil, evil spirits, demons and Satan.
FIRST READING: ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 10:34, 37-43
Peter and the other apostles are witnesses to the resurrection. Therefore, Peter through the power of the Resurrected Christ gave a first handed testimony to what they saw, heard and lived. The life, healing, preaching and teaching ministry of Christ, his passion, death and resurrection made them authentic witnesses of the gospel of Christ.
The resurrection of Christ from the dead after a painful and cruel death is God justification of Christ obedience. It is the power and authority of the Christian life, spirituality and grace by which there is forgiveness of sins to all who believe in Christ Jesus.
Alleluia! “This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad.” Alleluia! This is the Psalmist declaration of the Eastertide with joy and victory in Christ Jesus in Psalm 118.
SECOND READING: COLOSSIANS 3:1-4
Paul explains to us the total effect or implication of Christ resurrection. “If you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.” That is, our hearts, our personal life, our existence, our faith and Christian life and activities must be oriented in the Resurrected Christ.
The fundamental effect of Christ resurrection is the transformational change it brings to the life of Christian who believes in the power of the resurrection. A victorious life above sin and death, and over evil and Satan.
However, it is worth noting that this change, this victory is for only those who have their life is hidden with Christ in God. And When Christ who is your life is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory in the transformational and redeeming way.
THE GOSPEL: MARK 16: 1-7
All the gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John gave the account of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. They present an empty tomb and Mary of Magdalena and other women were at the centre of the narrative. The attitude of the women was that they had come to pay the last tribute to a dead body. In all instance, the angel mediates to communicate the resurrection and the women, the apostles and the disciples all greeted the story with mixed feelings.
THE MOOD BEFORE THE RESURRECTION
It was silent. So quiet. The day after Christ died. The silence between despair and joy. It appears evil and the wicked ones have won the battle. Jesus Christ God and God´s Son is dead and lying in the tomb. By his suffering and death seemingly truth and goodness are defeated. The deepest silence engulfed the whole earth.
The attitude of the apostles and disciples was that everything had finished in tragedy. God is silent nothing more and nothing less. There are times in every Christian’s life when it feels like God is silent. Even King David felt this in Psalm 28:1 when he pleads: “To you, Lord, I call; you are my Rock, do not turn a deaf ear to me. For if you remain silent, I will be like those who go down to the pit.”
HE DESCENDED INTO HELL…
Yet, even in the grave, Jesus Christ is Lord and Saviour. It seems silent everything but he descended into hell as the Holy Scripture testifies:
1. Ephesian 4: 7-10 state: “Now to each one of us grace has been given according to the measure of the gift of Christ. 8This is why it says: “When He ascended on high, He led captives away, and gave gifts to men.” What does “He ascended” mean, except that He also descended to the lower parts of the earth? 10He who descended is the very One who ascended above all the heavens, to fill all things.
2. Peter´s testimony and preaching in Acts 2:24. “But God raised Him from the dead, releasing Him from the agony of death because it was impossible for Him to be held in its clutches.” This means death could not hold Jesus captive, he was sinless. The wages of sin is death (Roman 6:23).
3. Again peter testified to Jesus´ context between his death and resurrection. “For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit, he went and made proclamation to the imprisoned spirits.”
4. ¨You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all our sins. Having cancelled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.¨ Col. 2:13-15
THE MYSTERY OF THE RESURRECTION
The Resurrection is the central fact of the whole Christian faith. In other words, the resurrection of Christ is the basis of our Christian Faith. Easter is the guarantee of our resurrection. Easter is a feast that gives us hope and encouragement. Above all, the Easter feast of the resurrection of Christ gives us absolute victory over Sin, Death, Evil, Demons and evil spirit, and Devil or Satan!
SOME BASIC FACTS OF THE RESURRECTION:
The Resurrection of Christ (or Christ power to resurrect others) is an extraordinary event, original, unrepeatable, unique in human history.
It is the central datum of Christianity, the centre of Christian preaching and witness, from the beginning to the end of time. St. Paul affirmative testified to this, “And if Christ has not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain…. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.” (1 Corinthians 15:14-19)
However, the Resurrection is one of the mysteries of our faith difficult to understand or explain with human reason. It is a Grand Mystery of our faith, and that only with faith can we understand 1 Corinthians 1: 22-24.
THE HISTORICITY AND SPIRITUALITY OF THE CHRIST´S RESURRECTION
The resurrection of Christ is a historical event in the sense that it actually happened in history, and had been historically proven by signs and proofs. Christ is risen! You and I are called to believe and to receive our faith through these early witnesses. The concrete and undisputable proves of Christ´s Resurrection:
1. Jesus himself testified to his Resurrection from the dead (Mark 8:31; Matthew 17:22; Luke 9:22).
2. The tomb was empty on Easter Sunday (Mt.28: 3-15; Mk.16: 5-8; Lk. 24: 4-12; Jn. 20: 2-18)
3. The initial disbelief of Jesus’ disciples in His Resurrection, despite His repeated apparitions, serves as a strong proof of His Resurrection. That is the appearances of the Risen Christ to them constantly. (Mt.28: 1-8; Jn.20: 11-18; Jn.20: 19-23; Lk.24: 13-35; Jn.20: 24-29; Jn. 21: 1-14; Jn. 20: 30-31; Acts 1: 3-11; 1Cor.15: 3-9, 20-21)
4. The transformation of Jesus’ disciples: Jesus’ Resurrection and the anointing of the Holy Spirit transformed men who were hopeless and fearful after the crucifixion (Luke 24:21, John 20:19), into men who now were confident and bold witnesses to the Resurrection (Acts 2:24, 3:15, 4:2). By far the best proof of the Resurrection is the existence of the Christian church. Nothing else could have changed sad and despairing men and women into people radiant with joy and flaming with courage if not the resurrected Christ and the Power of the Holy Spirit.
5. Neither the Jews nor the Romans could disprove Jesus’ Resurrection by presenting the dead body of Jesus. Instead, there was evidence of bad faith and corruption to cover the truth and unexplainable reality.
“While the women were on their way, some of the guards went into the city and reported to the chief priests all that had happened. And after the chief priests had met with the elders and formed a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money and instructed them: “You are to say, ‘His disciples came by night and stole Him away while we were asleep.” Matthew 28:11-13
6. The Apostles and early Christians would not have faced martyrdom if they were not sure of Jesus’ Resurrection. “And they have defeated him by the blood of the Lamb and by their testimony. And they did not love their lives so much that they were afraid to die.” Revelation 12:11
7. The Apostle Paul’s conversion from a persecutor of Christians to a zealous preacher of Jesus supports the truth of Jesus’ Resurrection (Galatians 1:11-17, Acts 9:1, Acts 9:24-25, Acts 26:15-18).
8. The sheer existence of a thriving, empire-conquering early Christian Church, and bravely facing and surviving three centuries of persecution, supports the truth of the Resurrection claim.
9. The New Testament witnesses do not bear the stamp of dupes or deceivers. The Apostles and the early Christians were sure about the Resurrection of Jesus.
At the same time, it is also a mysterious event, which transcends and surpasses history itself, insofar as it is a mystery of faith, and, as such, it demands faith, a gift of God, thanks to which one can exclaim with Saint Thomas facing each other. Risen Christ: ¨My Lord and my God¨ (Jn. 20:28)
The resurrection cannot be proven through mere historical and scientific facts but through the eye of faith of those who are committed to the Resurrected Christ on personal and communal life.
THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST IS THE WORK OF THE HOLY TRINITY.
It is a work of all the three Persons of the Holy Trinity:
1. The Father manifested his power over sin that has death as its consequence and the devil that caused sin and death.
2. The Son recovered life because he has freely given it (John 10:17)
3. The Holy Spirit vivified and glorified the soul and body of the Risen Christ.
THE EFFECTS OF THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST
1. Through the resurrection, Christ is the heavenly man 1Cor. 15: 47-49. That is why his resurrected body passes from the state of death to another celestial life form beyond time and space. As such, he is no longer bound to the decadence of the body.
2. It is not subject to physical laws. It is no longer conditioned by space and time. He could enter and leave with the doors closed; could appear and disappear where, how and when you want.
3. Now, the divine life already participates with the properties of a glorious body. For this reason, the risen Christ is sovereignly free to appear to his disciples wherever he wants, under various forms and everywhere at the same time.
THE IMPLICATIONS OF THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST
(I) Jesus is not a figure in a book but a living presence. It is not enough to study the story of Jesus like the life of any other great historical figure. We may begin that way but we must end by meeting him personally and spiritually.
(II) Jesus is not a memory but a presence. The dearest memory fades. The Greeks had a word to describe time meaning time which wipes all things out. Long since time would have wiped out the memory of Jesus unless he had been a living presence forever with us. Jesus is not someone to discuss so much as someone to meet or encounter personally.
(III) The Christian life is not the life of a man who knows about Jesus, but the life of a man who knows Jesus. There is all the difference in the world between knowing about a person and knowing a person. Most people know about Queen Elizabeth or the President of the United States but not so many know them. The greatest scholar in the world who knows everything about Jesus is less than the humblest Christian who knows him.
The risen Christ must and should become our faith experience personally in the Holy Scripture and communally in the Holy Eucharist. No wonder, the apostles and disciples recognised him through the breaking of the bread Luke 24:35 (Eucharist) and Jesus explained to them the Sacred Scripture. Luke 24:44-46.
(IV) There is an endless quality about the Christian faith. It should never standstill or stagnant. Because our Lord is a living Lord new wonders and new truths are waiting to be discovered all the time. The resurrection of Christ makes Christianity the most dynamic spirituality of ever-growing consciousness of God, his truth and revelation. Christianity is an active and living spirituality.
Where we live actively our encounter with Resurrected Christ in prayer, the Holy Scripture and the sacraments especially the Holy Eucharist like the early and first Christian community.
(V) “Go,” said the messenger. “Tell his disciples and Peter.” There are the two precious statements of the first witnesses of the resurrection of Christ. Thus, the resurrection makes us witnesses to the Resurrected Christ after our spiritual and personal experience of him. “….You are witnesses of these things.” Luke 24: 46-48
(VI) We are a call to committed life with a change of heart and new life in the Resurrected Christ Jesus. No one experienced the Risen Christ and remain in his old nature of living. Christ resurrected transforms us through the power of the Holy Spirit.
(VII) We need to lead a new life with the Risen Lord, conscious that his Precious death was the price he paid for us so that we might die to our sinful life.
(VII) We need to live a new life recognizing the nobility of Christians as children of God and its inherent power and authority over evil, demons, and Satan in the Resurrected Christ Jesus. Interestingly, not everyone witnessed or experienced the presence and power of the risen Christ. It is only those who consciously sought him in faith, grace and mercy.
CHRIST VICTORY, OUR VICTORY TOO
¨You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all our sins. Having cancelled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.¨ Col. 2:13-15
This is the Divine drama of these holy days well captured and expressed by St. Paul. It implies the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Christ gives us an everlasting edge to shout and sing Alleluia because:-
Alleluia! Defeat has been turned to Victory. Alleluia!
Alleluia! The victim is now the Victor. Alleluia!
Alleluia! Good has overcome evil. Alleluia!
Alleluia! Life has been restored over death. Alleluia!
Alleluia! Love has conquered hatred. Alleluia!
Alleluia! Light has dispelled the darkness! Alleluia!
Alleluia. Virtuousness has replaced viciousness and sins. Alleluia!
Alleluia! Forgiveness has been written over condemnation. Alleluia!
OUR PRAYER AND PRAISES OF THE RISEN CHRIST
Lord Jesus Christ, your last testimony on the cross was IT IS FINISHED! Yet, when your disciples laid You in a tomb sealed by the rolling stone all hope and sense of victory seems to be lost. It was all silent and it was only darkness that clouds our sense of joy, happiness and optimism.
We live in a hard time of pandemic and others worries. Help us remember always that: death, sin and evil could not hold You captive and that even in the grave You are Lord, Saviour, and Victor! May we acclaim, appropriate and apply to our life, our history and conditions especially the COVID-19 your victory and glory over sins, guilt, shame, death, evil, demons, evil spirits and Satan. Amen.
Alleluia! Alleluia! Christ is Risen! Alleluia! Amen. Hence, we sing and shout Alleluia! The Lord is Risen! Alleluia! Indeed, He is Risen! Amen! Alleluia! Lord Jesus Christ, as we sing the Easter song of victory and glory: Alleluia!
Yes indeed, He is Risen, death where is your sting and fear where is your power! We shout, sing, dance, and celebrate He is Risen ever! Alleluia! Alleluia!! Alleluia!!!
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