Homily on Easter Sunday, 20 April 2025; Maryville Chapel, Talamban
Brothers and sisters, Happy Easter! On this most blessed of all days, we are happy to come together as a Christian community to celebrate the Feast of all feasts, the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. But you may ask, did anyone really see Jesus rise from the dead?
The truth is no one had actually witnessed the Lord’s resurrection. Unlike the Lord’s Nativity which was witnessed by St Joseph and the Bl. Virgin Mary, the event of Christ’s glorious resurrection from the dead was witnessed by no one, not even his Bl. Mother Mary and his closest disciples were there to see him coming out of the tomb. And no CCTV camera could show how the resurrection really happened. Nevertheless, we Christians today firmly believe that the Resurrection had really taken place. But what is the proof? Is it the empty tomb? Yes, but not only that! The proof is that his disciples have actually seen the Risen Christ fully alive. They have met him face to face; they have spoken with him and even ate and drank with him. This is what St Peter proclaimed long ago as recorded in the Acts of the Apostles.
At first however, his disciples who came to see his tomb found it surprisingly empty. According to the Gospel narrative we have heard today the first one who went to the tomb early that Sunday morning was Mary Magdalene. She was intending to treat the Lord’s lifeless body with spices, but she was shocked when she saw the tomb’s stone already rolled away and the tomb empty.
And so she started becoming anxious, thinking right away that somebody might have stolen his body away. She probably had been so overcome with grief that it did not occur to her that Jesus had indeed risen from the dead just as he himself had predicted. And so she left the tomb and reported the matter to Peter and John.
These two apostles must have been shocked too, when they heard Mary Magdalene’s report. And so they immediately rushed to see the Lord’s tomb. And upon arriving there, Peter saw that the tomb was really empty and the body of Jesus missing. I guess he must have been so disheartened and confused. What he saw did not make sense. Where could Jesus’ body be?
When it was John’s turn to look inside the tomb, his reaction was very different. What he saw simply confirmed the report of Mary Magdalene. However, something else caught his attention. He noticed that the burial cloths were still there, lying on the same spot where Jesus’ body was laid to rest. “He saw and believed.” I guess he was the only one who was able to quickly connect the dots together. “He saw and believed.”
Therefore, among the three persons who found the same tomb empty, only John concluded that the Lord’s body could not have been stolen by anyone. What could have made him think that way? What was for him the sign that the Lord must have risen from the dead as he promised? The sign was the BURIAL CLOTHS. The tomb was not empty after all, because the burial cloths were left there. If Jesus’ body had been stolen away, why should the thief leave the burial cloths behind?
John was, therefore, the only one smart enough to believe without seeing the Risen Lord. He saw the sign, he reflected and he believed. What did he believe? The Lord has risen from the dead in accordance with God’s amazingly wonderful plan. After seeing and believing there must have been a sudden surge of joy in his heart together with an excitement that he would be seeing the Lord again very soon, this time risen from the grave and fully alive.
Today and during the Easter Octave, we are invited to continue coming to Mass for eight days up to the Feast of Divine Mercy. The joy that we feel cannot be confined to just one day because it is the greatest triumph the world has ever witnessed in its entire history. No one has ever risen from the dead except Christ our Lord. That is why we extend this great festivity not only throughout the whole week but also up to the Solemnity of Pentecost making a total of 50 days of Easter celebratio.
Just look at the way we celebrate Christmas. We, Pinoy Catholics, cannot imagine a Christmas without a 9-day Misa de Gallo, right? But Easter is even greater and much more solemn than Christmas. In fact we have been preparing for Easter for the past forty days with prayer, penitence and almsgiving. During the Holy Week the preparations had intensified with the celebration of the Paschal Triduum. This coming week therefore beginning today until the next Sunday of Easter, in which we celebrate the feast of Divine Mercy, I strongly recommend and encourage you to find time to come to Mass everyday. Why? These are not holidays of obligation. But why?
It is because Easter, as I have said, is a much greater feast than Christmas. Jesus’ Nativity would not be remembered at all if not for His passion, death and glorious resurrection. And so if despite all the challenges of waking up early, we are still able to complete the Misa de Gallo during the Christmas Novena, why do we not put the same effort to be able to complete the Holy Masses during the Easter Octave?
As Catholics we need to level up in celebrating Easter. We should realize that as we joyfully celebrate new births, birthdays and anniversaries in the family, we should also find time to celebrate re-births, resurrections, triumphs, victories and successes, as many people are already doing. In fact we Pinoys always find time and spend money to celebrate various occasions, like school graduations, passing and topping the board exams, being promoted in work, winning an award in various competitions and tournaments. We also do the same when we have finally won the heart of someone we truly love, or when we have finally acquired a new house, or a new vehicle, or inaugurate a new business enterprise.
Shouldn’t we also find a way to celebrate when someone seriously ill is finally discharged from the hospital and fully recovers? Shouldn’t we also find a way to celebrate when enemies return and reconcile with each other, when separated spouses reunite, and when prodigal children or parents return to their loved ones? Above all shouldn’t we find a way to celebrate when sinners find their way back to God through a good confession?
This is precisely the reason why the Church had established the Easter Octave. We need to celebrate not only for one day but for one week. We feel strongly that we should celebrate not only Christ’s triumph over death but also the rebirth of catechumens in the sacrament of Baptism. And we should also celebrate our own triumph over sin and our own resurrection to the new life of grace in the sacrament of confession.
Two days ago, I sat down inside the chapel of DBFC Lawaan for confessions from 6pm up to 10pm straight without a break. In the previous night the confessions there started at 8:00 pm and ended at 2:30am with seven priests hearing confessions simultaneously. Countless people have made very good confessions these past days not only in Lawaan but also here in your clubhouse and in so many other churches in the world. I honestly feel God’s UNLI LOVE so real.
On a personal note, one of the most moving confessions I have heard during the period of Lent came from someone who told me that his last confession was 30 years ago, and I saw him literally in tears for he really thought there was no more chance for him to be forgiven by the Lord. Then after receiving the absolution he left wiping his tears still feeling overwhelmed by God’s unconditional love and bottomless compassion. Aren’t all these conversions the fruits of the Jubilee Year of Hope?
Brothers and sisters, after the homily we shall be renewing our baptismal promises, as a sign of our new life in Christ and our commitment to be a better version of ourselves for the good of others, for our own sanctification and above all for the glory of God. Let us make it our goal to really become more and more like Jesus to the point of becoming saints. And empowered by this Eucharist may we celebrate Easter not just today but throughout the succeeding days of the Easter octave and of the Easter season up to Pentecost. Just like John we also have seen and have believed. GiGsss!