CHRIST IS RISEN.  ALLELUIA!

The story of Easter combines two events: a cruel death, followed by incredible hope for a new life. The story of the suffering and death of Jesus on Good Friday is the story of the very worst that life can throw to an innocent and helpless person: misunderstanding, lies, desertion,  betrayal, false accusations, humiliation, violence, hunger and thirst, pain, darkness and death. It is the story of triumph of falsity over truth, of injustice over justice, of evil over goodness.

Imagine the disciples wondering what to believe as they walk along the road to Emmaus. This end was not what they expected, what they looked for. Sadly to say these are also some of the emotions for many of us at the moment in our daily living; feelings of fear and uncertainty. Worries and concerns within us also arise when we look to the unfolding events in Egypt, Libya, Afghanistan and other places around the world. The same feelings of desolation, emptiness and hopelessness that the women and the disciples had when they went to the tomb on that Easter morning are the feelings that many of us are experiencing now. We are desperately looking for hope as people struggle to cope with the continuing natural disasters around the world, with the loss of a loved one, concern over finances or employment…a deep sense of loss, of emptiness overshadow us.

So what has Easter to say to the world, to our society, to our family to our community? What is the good news we are called to offer? My message for this Easter is this: “Easter does not work magic,” and the human journey will still be marked by grief and anguish, However the Easter proclamation CHRIST IS RISEN is a call to hope in our lives now as well as joy and hope for the future. Our meeting with the RISEN CHRIST tells us that our destiny is not founded in the success of our institutions, or the preservation of our traditions, or the survival of our communities, but in our ability to see hope even from the artificial tombs in which we often put ourselves. The RISEN CHRIST is telling us that we need to realize that there is more than the fear of the recession, the fear of terrorism, or the fear of losing somebody very dear to us. The RISEN CHRIST is telling us that this life is just the preparation for the life to come.

‘Do not be afraid’ or ‘Peace be with you’ were Jesus’ first words as He meets and greets people that first Easter. These words changed the disciples, not just in their willingness to go and preach the Gospel, but it changed them as people. The stories in the gospels also tell us that those who encountered the living Christ could not keep it to themselves and could not wait to tell others. Likewise, Easter is a time for us to renew our faith and trust in the unseen power and love of God and a call to hope in the challenge to accommodate ourselves to imperfect reality, changing things we can change, accepting things we cannot change, and discovering that the things we cannot change are things which we can live with because the RISEN CHRIST dwells among us. The celebration of Easter is not only an ending but a beginning. Our task, as risen people who have met the risen Christ, is to help people jump from their endings into new beginnings; it is a call to transform this world into a kingdom of justice, peace and love.

As we rejoice in the Resurrection of Christ this Easter, let us not merely say Christ is risen, but “I shall rise.

May the hope of Jesus Resurrection brings you peace and happiness during this Easter season and everyday of your life

Fr. Alejandro Salcedo, OP

Prior, St Dominic’s Priory

Macau April 23, 2011