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Resurrexit
sicut dixit!
“He has risen as he said.” This is the proclamation of Easter morning. For
centuries, the proclamation of this miraculous moment has invigorated Christians
all over the world. On Good Friday, after crucifixion and death, the body of
Jesus was laid in the tomb and a stone rolled across the entrance. And to be
sure that his body would not be taken, Pilate had soldiers guard the tomb and
the watch began. For three days, Jesus’ followers waited and wondered what
would happen. And for three days the soldiers watched the door of that tomb. Our
Lord’s enemies did what they could to prevent his resurrection. We read in St.
Matthew’s gospel how desperate the chief priests and Pharisees were by
approaching Pilate on the Sabbath with a request to have the tomb of Jesus
guarded. They were willing to break their own Sabbath law to defeat Jesus’
predictions of his own rising. They came to Pilate saying Jesus foretold that he
would rise from the dead on the third day and they seemed fearful this might
actually take place. After witnessing our Lord’s other miracles, did they
think this one might
also happen? They said they were guarding the sepulcher against the disciples,
but were they maybe guarding it against the all powerful God?
There
is no tomb in the world that can keep the Son of God imprisoned. His persecutors
thought they had overcome Jesus and his mission. They thought they had won and
finally put Jesus to death. But death had not overcome Jesus so much as Jesus
would overcome death. Remember that death was not part of God’s original plan
for his people. Instead it is the horrible result of original sin: the great sin
of Adam and Eve that brought death to the world was separation from God. In the
Exultet chant, which is sung at the Easter vigil, this sin is referred to as a “happy
fault,”
the “necessary
sin of Adam.”
It seems odd to call any fault, especially one as grave as Adam’s, happy. But
the Exultet goes on to proclaim that this happy fault “won
for us so great a redeemer.”
And that is the beautiful paradox of Easter: Jesus died to overcome death. He
defeated death that we might have new life in him. We are delivered from a life
of darkness to a new life of light.
As
we prepare to celebrate the feast of Easter, let us leave behind our old way of
life and put on the new life Christ has won for us through his victory over the
grave. Let us live boldly in Christ’s light proclaiming the good news of
Jesus’ resurrection. And this Easter, we announce to the world again the
victory of our Lord and the life that is ours through his resurrection. My
friends, our Lord is risen as he said! May the joy of the risen Christ be with
you and your loved ones this Easter and always.
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