Christ is Risen. Alleluia!
Easter Sunday
Acts 10:34a, 37-43; Colossians 3:1-4; John 20:1-9
We can look at the mystery of the resurrection from various perspectives. One can see in it the manifestation of God's justice. The one who dies for the sake of God is given new life by God. Jesus captured this truth in this sentence: "whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for me will find it" (Matt. 10:39). The truth about the resurrection also testifies to the famous saying that "love is strong as death" (Song 8:6). Death could not overcome God's love for humanity manifested in Jesus Christ. "He who has love for all has established immortality for all" (Benedict XVI).
The resurrection of Christ is His victory over death. "Where, O death, is your victory?" (1 Cor. 15:55). The Bible understands death as a consequence of sin. It was not intended by God, but entered the world through the envy of the devil (Wisdom 2:24). Adam's sin like a viral disease destroys us all (Rom. 3:23). But then new Adam came to the rescue, the one who "committed no sin" (1 Pet. 2:22), and so death could not have power over him (Rom. 6:9). St. Augustine writes about a wonderful exchange. The Immortal Word of God was able to die because He took from us the mortal flesh marked by sin, and this death that destroys sin gives us life. "We gave him the power to die, he will give us the power to live".
The New Testament contains two words to describe life: "bios" and "zoe". The first refers to the sphere of mortal life, which ends in inevitable death, the second refers to a life that goes beyond death. This is beautifully captured by the story of women seeking the Lord among the dead. Those who witnessed the end of Christ's earthly life now hear the news that He is alive. Those who worried about the stone at the door of the sepulcher find the tomb empty. The crucified Jesus of Nazareth is risen. From His earthly life has emerged immortality - the fullness of life. Christ’s love is indeed stronger than death.
According to the book of Genesis, it was on the sixth day of the week that God created Adam, who brought the curse of sin on the whole human race. According to the Gospel, it was also on the sixth day of the week, on Good Friday, that Jesus - the new Adam - died on the cross to erase this curse. On the seventh day of the week, the Creator of the universe rested "from all the work that he did" (Gen. 2: 2), and also on the seventh day of the week - on Holy Saturday - the Redeemer of the world rested after His finished work. The first act of creation was: "Let there be light. And there was light" (Gen. 1: 2). It happened on the first day of the week. No wonder, then, that on Easter Sunday, which is also the first day of the week, the light of indestructible life emerges from the darkness of death. Christ has truly risen and opened the gates of eternity for us all.
The truth of the resurrection gives direction to our lives. In the sacrament of baptism, we also leave behind “bios”, a life marked by sin and death (see 1 John 2: 16), and we enter the sphere of "Zoe”, a life dedicated to God. Saint Paul expressed this truth in his baptismal catechesis: "consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus" (Rom. 6:11). It is also in baptism that God has spoken in us again, "Let there be light", and “made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ” (2 Cor. 4:6). Finally, we should never forget the lessons from the Road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-35). The risen Christ journeys with us through life and we recognize his presence in the Eucharist (Luke 24: 30-31).