Easter Sunday
(Cycle “A" – March 27, 2005)

Q. 312: He is risen… isn’t he??

A. 312:   Yes indeed!   Christ has died; Christ is risen; and Christ will come again!   This is the mystery of our faith.   The Paschal mystery (life, death and resurrection of Jesus) calls us to at least three things: Faith, Renewal, and Mission.

Faith: do you really believe in the Resurrection of Jesus?   This is the lynch pin, the foundation stone, the core of our Christian faith!   If Jesus was not raised from the dead, then our faith is in vain.   But the many witnesses to subsequent appearances of Jesus give living testimony to the truth of this astounding fact.   We believe without seeing that He IS risen!   That is Faith!   Alleluia!

Renewal: if we are already baptized, we renew the promises we made at our baptism, to reject Satan and all of his works.   By this renewal, we are asking for the power of Jesus’ resurrection to be made real once again in our own lives, to “revive” us from our ways of sin and darkness.   We refresh our souls with the Sacrament of Reconciliation, and we gain strength for the journey by receiving Jesus in Holy Eucharist.   We do all of this because we truly believe He is Risen! Alleluia!

Mission: the Easter Candle symbolizes Christ, the Light of the World.   That light has been passed to us at our Baptism, and now we are commanded to carry on the mission of our Savior.   We lead others to the Father through Jesus by teaching, loving, forgiving, and sharing our possessions.   Christ is alive in and through the baptized – really, not symbolically - by the power of his Holy Spirit!   Alleluia!

Know Your Catechism!   Our faith must always grow after baptism, and for this reason we renew our baptism promises annually at Easter (CCC#1254).   The baptized share in the common priesthood of all believers and are called to spread the Good News that Jesus brought to all humanity (CCC#1268).   Jesus appeared to his disciples not as a “ghost,” but in the same body (although now glorified) that bore the marks of his torture (CCC#645).   He IS Risen!   Alleluia!

Deacon Paul Rooney
Mary Our Queen Parish, Omaha

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