He Is Risen! Alleluia!

Alleluia, Alleluia! He is Risen Indeed! The ancient promise has been fulfilled, and our hearts are filled with unspeakable joy.

Humanity had long pined for redemption, to be freed from our slavery to sin and death from the time of Adam and Eve. Then, Jesus Christ, the Second Person of the Trinity, “through whom all things came to be” (Jn 1:3), came into the world in human form, suffered and died on the cross out of love for us beyond our imagination. And joy of joys, on the third day, he rose again from the dead. Each Easter morning since then, the whole Body of Christ across the face of the earth sings out with joy in celebration of His Resurrection, singing, Alleluia! He is Risen!

In the early morning hours of the third day after his death, Mary Magdalene “stood weeping outside the tomb” (Jn. 20:11). Suddenly, she saw two angels who said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” (v.13 She was desperate to know what had happened to Jesus’ body. Then, we are told, she turned and saw a man standing near her. She did not recognize him. She thought that he might be one of the gardeners.

The man spoke to her, saying, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?” She revealed her desperate concern to him and, then, she heard him speak her name, “Mary!” The tone of his voice was full of tender familiarity. Stunned, she turns to him with sudden recognition and blurts out, “Rabbouni! (which means teacher)” (vs.15-16). In her exuberance, she reaches out to Jesus, and he tells her not to hold on to him, for he has not yet ascended. Jesus then commissions her to be the first person to ‘go and tell the Good News’ that He has risen from the dead. Filled with unspeakable joy, Mary runs back to the disciples who are gathered together, hiding together in the upper room. We can imagine her bursting into the room and breathlessly exclaiming: “I have seen the Lord” (v. 18)!

The worldly leaders, the elders, and the high priests, the Romans, blinded by pride and fear, never understood who it was that they were dealing with. In their foolish attempts to rid themselves of this particularly thorny problem, this threat to their own sense of self-importance, they used the law and the power of the Roman occupiers to have Jesus crucified on the cross. But, to their chagrin, on the third day after his death, the One who is Light from Light, and true God from true God, burst forth from the darkness of the grave. This Jesus really was who he said he was and did what he said he would do.

With Jesus’ resurrection, a New Dawn rose over the Eastern horizon of human history. In the light of this bright new dawn, we, like Mary Magdalene, are commissioned by Jesus to go to our brothers and sisters to tell the Good News that we have ‘seen the Lord!’ He is Risen! The grave no longer holds any fear for us, for He has conquered death and given us all the unimaginable gift of eternal life. We know that in doing this, we, too, will face misunderstanding, the cold shoulder of prideful ridicule, and threats of every kind, but we have reason for our hope and for our joy.

Four centuries after the Resurrection event, the early Church Father, St. John Chrysostom, wrote of the resurrection with the same kind of joy, “O Death, where is your sting? O Hell, where is your victory? Christ is risen, and you are overthrown. Christ is Risen, and the demons are fallen. Christ is Risen, and the Angels rejoice. Christ is Risen and life reigns. Christ is Risen and not one dead remains in the grave. For Christ, being Risen from the dead, is the First Fruits of those who have fallen asleep. To Him be glory and dominion unto ages of ages.”

Filled with Easter joy, we, too, can take Jesus’ words with faith: “Be not afraid.” Go and tell the others the Good News, not just with your words, but with your lives. Sing it out with joyful confidence with exultant exuberance: He is Risen! Alleluia, Alleluia! Amen.