Homily for Easter Sunday: April 16, 2006

Given by the Most Reverend Stephen E. Blaire at the Cathedral of the Annunciation in Stockton.

On this glorious Easter Sunday we gather in this Cathedral because we believe that Jesus Christ came from God and has returned to God in the glory of resurrection. We have faith in God and faith also in Jesus Christ. We have a firm conviction that Christ is indeed risen from the dead; that He reigns in glory; and that we have been promised a share in that glory if we but remain faithful to the end. Easter is a celebration of faith.

We live in a world that is not quick to believe. It has many pursuits which occupy its thoughts and time, preoccupations that do not lend themselves to belief in God, let alone in the resurrection of Jesus and eternal life. The Scriptures identify many of these pursuits which keep people locked into this world in a way that destroys true freedom, defeats growth in virtue and blinds one to eternity: the relentless pursuit of pleasure, the inordinate love of money which leads to greed and corruption, and the never ending quest for fame, power and importance.

Jesus says that we do not belong to this world. Yet we know very well that we are flesh and blood. We know what our experiences of life are. How can we not belong to the world of which we are so much a part? To not belong to the world means to have a firm conviction about the journey we are on. My parents used to say when they saw someone get away with an injustice, “that person is not dead yet.” This was a sincere conviction that there was something more, something transcendent to the human life we currently experience. There is something above and beyond. The Scriptures teach us that what is corruptible will become incorruptible; what is mortal will become immortal.
Jesus in His resurrection has overcome death. The Risen Lord is our pledge of eternal life, the great promise of future resurrection and life, reigning with Christ in the glory of the Father.

The conviction of faith and the joy of Easter offers in place of pleasure the inner peace of a good conscience. The conviction of faith and the joy of Easter offers in place of money a treasure of good works and grace stored up in heaven. The conviction of faith and the joy of Easter offers in place of fame a genuine sense of one’s own worth as a child of God, created in the image of God and redeemed by the love of Jesus Christ.

The Lord is risen. We have faith in God and in Jesus Christ His Son, our Lord!

Last Update February 28, 2007