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You might have already heard it once or twice already, but on behalf of the Incarnate Word clergy and staff, I want to wish you a “happy Easter!” This greeting will likely be said many more times before this day is done and I hope you can pause and think to yourself, “this is truly a happy easter”. In truth, we all come here in different mindsets and from different places. So, to begin, it might be good to ask, why is Easter such a big deal that so many make it a point to come to church, all dressed up and looking their best? Is there a preferred mindset or mood we are encouraged to have as we gather on this special day? Based on the intense and introspective liturgies of Holy Thursday and Good Friday, we might be led to think that Easter is pretty serious business.
So it might surprise us to realize there has always been a place for joy and laughter in Easter celebrations. The early Christian tradition of risus paschalis – Easter laughter – is alive and well in churches around the world. Historically-minded pastors recall the perspective, first offered by the Church Fathers, that Jesus’s resurrection represents the ultimate practical joke, played by God on the devil: the triumph of life over death, of good over evil. In the Eastern Churches, the day after Easter is dedicated to sharing your best jokes with friends and family, to reinforce the notion that the resurrection is joyful news indeed.
With that tradition in mind, I would begin this homily with a story from the old days about a preacher who used to visit his churches while riding his trusty steed. This pious preacher had trained his horse to go when he said, “Praise the Lord,” and to stop when he said, “Amen.” It was very important to keep those straight but with so much riding, he was a pro in no time! One day, after all his pastor duties were finished, the preacher hopped on his horse, said “Praise the Lord,” and went for a ride in the nearby mountains.
When he wanted to stop for lunch by a mountain stream, he said, “Amen.”
After a relaxed meal, he took off again, saying “Praise the Lord.”
As they went up the mountain, the horse started heading toward the edge of a cliff on the narrow trail. The preacher got excited and said, “Whoa!” Then he remembered and said, “Amen,” and the horse stopped right at the edge. The preacher was so relieved that he looked up to heaven and said, “Praise the Lord!”
It is a wonderful thing to have laughter at Easter Mass! Not simply at a funny story or clever joke but more importantly, because the worst things to befall the human race, namely sin and death, have been defeated by our Risen Savior. That is something that should always put a smile on our face and hope in our hearts. But we would do a terrible disservice to these saving mysteries if we kept our reflection on a superficial level, only hoping to walk out of church today smiling and laughing. Easter Sunday only happened after a cosmic struggle for our souls between good and evil, an epic battle between God and Satan, with innocent Jesus standing in our place. To skip past this and remain on the surface would dishonor what God has done for us. It would also keep us from enjoying the full significance of what we have received from the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus.
Easter means that God is on a collision course with injustice, with violence, with exploitation. God is against the betrayal of Judas, the denial of Peter and the complicity and corruption of power in Pilate and Herod. He is against Jesus being beaten in jail. He is against the politically-correct judgment of Pilate who judged Jesus innocent of a capital offense but had him killed to keep the mob happy.
Things have not changed today. Our God is still against betrayal, backstabbing, and cowardice. He is still against violence in the family and on the streets of our cities. He is still against corruption in government and on Wall Street. God is against the unholy ways many are treated online and in the media. He is against the moral and physical abuse of spouses, children, the poor, the unborn and the misuse of social, political, and financial power.
The Easter story reminds us in no uncertain terms of where God stands. He raises up Jesus who told us to turn the other cheek. To go the extra mile, to bless those who curse us and pray for our enemies. He told us to go first and be reconciled with our brother or sister before we come and offer our gifts at the altar. He told us never to return evil for evil but cry out with Him on the cross. “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do.” He said to feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty and always remember it profits us nothing to gain the whole world but lose our soul. Jesus’ way of life and way of love, the Father raises up.
In other words, Easter is not simply a tremendous mystery; is also a statement. A divine statement of divine values. It is about life and death, right and wrong.
Last but not least, Easter asks a questions of each and every one of us: which side are we on? Which path will we take in life? Will we seek worldly power, pleasure and riches? Or will we seek Jesus’ way of humble service, mercy, and fidelity to His Father’s Will.
Easter is the day God announced His choice. By raising His Son from the dead and all He stood for, God made it clear that life and happiness will never come from brute force, violence, anger, lust, worldly power, arrogance, envy, or betrayal. Easter is the day God announced His choice, what is left for you and me is to make ours.
