Easter Sunday

The resurrection was an historical event. As we hear in the readings the apostles and disciples of Jesus who had been shaken by our Lord’s death on the cross, are brought to a realisation that he has risen. First by the empty tomb, which in itself is not completely convincing, as Mary says someone may have simply stolen the body, but most of all by the appearances of the risen Jesus to his apostles. Peter we hear witnessing to his death, “they killed him by hanging him on a tree” and to his resurrection “we have eaten and drunk with him after his resurrection from the dead”.

And yet at its heart the Resurrection remains something that demands faith, that is, it demands that we are open to the gift of God which enables us to believe. For the resurrection is a work of God, Father Son and Holy Spirit who intervenes in creation and in history.

The resurrection confirms the truth of all our Lord did and taught, it fulfils the promises of the old testament and the promises made by Jesus, it confirms that Jesus is as he said the son of God, and it opens up for us the way to life. By Christ’s resurrection our souls, through baptism share even now in the divine life of Fr, Son and Holy Spirit and we receive the promise that after the death our human bodies must experience by nature they will be raised at the end of the world again like Christ’s human body. As Paul says “you have died and now the life you have is hidden with Christ in God. But when Christ is revealed – and he is your life- you too will be revealed in all your gory with him”.

Over the coming weeks of Eastertide we have a chance to deepen our understanding of and faith in the resurrection, this Sunday we are called to begin by renewing the vows of our baptism.