Reading 1: 1 Cor 15:1-8

Responsorial Psalm: Ps 19:2-3, 4-5

Alleluia: Jn 14:6b, 9c

Gospel::Jn 14:6-14

Liturgical Colour: Red

My dearest brothers and sisters-in- Christ, today we come together as the church to commemorate the feast of not just one, but of two of Christ’s Twelve Apostles, these being, St. Philip and St. James. Both of  these Apostles worked tirelessly for the sake of the people of God, and just as the other Apostles had done, they spread the Good News to many throughout the world.

St. Philip is also known as Nathanael, he was a learned and a wise man from Israel. He was told he needed to be fluent in the Greek language, and eventually he went on to preach about the Lord and His truth in the regions of Greece and also of Roman Asia, he went from city to city, preaching to the masses and he gained for the Church many new converts and members.

St. Philip even managed to convert the wife of the proconsul of a region  in which he ministered, by his miracles and from his preaching. The proconsul was enraged and ordered St. Philip to be arrested, and he together with the other Apostle, St. Bartholomew, and other disciples were crucified upside down. St. Philip preached to the crowd gathering there from his execution cross, in such a way, that they wanted to release him, but St. Philip refused to allow this.

The other Apostle which we celebrate today, St. James the Greater, was the brother of St. John the Apostle,  he was a fisherman along the Lake of Galilee, whom Jesus called together with His other Apostles, St. Peter, St. Andrew and St. John his brother. St. James played an important role in the early Church, spreading the Good News of God’s salvation after Christ’s resurrection and ascension into heaven.

St. James went to preach the Good News to such faraway countries such as in the province of Iberia in what today we know as the country of Spain, where he spread the Gospel to the people there and helped to establish the Church far from its origins in Jerusalem. He was  renowned especially in the region known as Santiago de Compostela, where his body lies buried, because it was there where he apparently did his works of evangelisation.

King Herod arrested St. James when he returned to the Holy Land, and in order to please the Jewish authorities, the Pharisees and the chief priests, had him executed. St. James was among the first of the Apostles to meet his end on earth through martyrdom.

The tireless works and commitment to the salvation of mankind of St. James and St. Philip can still be felt as making an impact even today. Like these Apostles of the Lord, we  need more and more people who are willing to commit themselves to the Lord’s  service, and to walk in His path just as these two Apostles did.

Truly, it will not be an easy task for us, as there is worldly opposition against all those who are faithful in the Lord’s service and who keep their faith. But Jesus reminds us yet again in the Gospel, that we who believe in Him, have seen the Lord Himself through Jesus, and by our faith in Him, we have been justified. And because we know the Lord, we will also be obedient to Him, we would be blessed and saved.

During the last remaining part of the season of Eastertide,  let us reflect on our own lives, and on how we have acted in our lives so far. Have we been fully committed to our Lord, and have we been truly faithful to Him? Can we call truly ourselves Christians? Do we not only believe in the Lord through our mere words, but also through our actions?

The examples of the  lives and service of the Apostles St. Philip and St. James show us that there are still many things that we can do as the followers of Christ in order to fulfil the commands which our Lord has given us, within our lives in His service.  Both these Apostles served with tireless zeal and with vigour, and despite the challenges and the difficulties that faced them, these did not prevent them from carrying out the missions which the Lord had entrusted to them.

Let us all therefore look forward, and as we soon will celebrate the Solemnity of Pentecost Sunday, let us all recommit ourselves, and rediscover the true gifts of the Holy Spirit which have been given to us, and to make use of these gifts in order to help those who are still in darkness, by showing them the love of God manifested through each and every one of us as the faithful servants of our Lord, so that more and more souls may see the light of God and be saved.

Let us pray:

O God, who gladden us each year

with the feast day of the Apostles Philip and James,

grant us, through their prayers,

a share in the Passion and Resurrection

of Your Only Begotten Son,

so that we may merit to behold You for eternity.

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,

who lives and reigns with You in the unity

of the Holy Spirit,

one God, for ever and ever.

Amen.

⁵⁴ Coming to his hometown, he began teaching the people in their synagogue, and they were amazed. “Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers?” they asked. ⁵⁵ “Isn’t this the carpenter’s son? Isn’t his mother’s name Mary, and aren’t his brothers James, Joseph, Simon and Judas? ⁵⁶ Aren’t all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?” ⁵⁷ And they took offense at him.

But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own town and in his own home.”

⁵⁸ And he did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith

Brothers and sisters; the Gospel tells us that Jesus returned to his native place. While preaching, many of the people listening to him started to question his knowledge on the subject, simply because of where he was from, because of his family trade, because of who his father and mother were. Many of these people had seen Jesus grow up, yet his wisdom was far greater than anyone there.  At this moment it reminds me of the movie, “The Passion of the Christ,” in which one sees flashes of Jesus studying, working, and perfecting his family trade of carpentry.  “Isn’t this the carpenter’s son?” (14:55) One must wonder, isn’t God allowed to choose whoever he wants to carry his mission? Why are we so concerned with who God chooses, why do we have to stereotype who can and cannot be worthy to be God’s chosen one?

Sometimes I wonder how St. Joseph felt. If Jesus was being questioned because of his background, now imagine the difficulty that St. Joseph endured. A regular man with no special gifts that had to accept his future wife’s words that her pregnancy was a work of God. He had to stand against his own religious leaders and to trust God. Both of them probably were the talk of town. It must have been said that they were weak in the flesh since Mary was pregnant before they were married. He was responsible not only to raise a son who was God, but to teach him that we are all call to be witness to the dignity of our own labor. He had to do all this based on a dream, a dream that many could have had, but in his heart, it was not a simple dream, rather it was God’s vision, words and will. And yet he did it with strong faith becoming a yes man to God’s will.

Now, take a moment and meditate on how Jesus might have felt. Probably happy and excited at being in his hometown, ready to teach the good news, but instead, he came across people with hardened hearts, with hearts not open to suggestions. My dear brothers and sisters, today’s Gospel manifests for us the difference between believing and not believing. When we truly believe, we let God act in our lives and a true transformation happens, but when we do not believe and close the doors of our hearts to God, our lives are hindered.

Think of your lives, are we accepting God’s word as it should be? Are we giving people the chance that they deserve?  Or are we shutting them down? We must be good listeners; Jesus wants us to be builders of his kingdom and not destroyers of his mission. God’s kingdom includes all of his people, you, me, and our neighbor. We must come as a broken individual in need of God’s healing. God invites us to be men and women of faith and to let Him into our lives. We must not question his decision but instead we must ask the Lord to teach us to truly believe in him, to transform our bodies and faith so that others can see the transformation that occurs if one is with God.

Let us take advantage of the opportunities the Lord Jesus Christ affords us, and let God act, let it not be said of us “he did not do many miracles there,” but let it be said that we live in peace because Jesus is with us. Let us be men and women of faith who accept and do God’s will.

The early Church described Christ as a young shepherd lovingly caring for his sheep. In today’s Gospel of John, we find this image once more. Christ, the Good Shepherd, is the one who lays down his life for his sheep. This is in contrast to the hired hand who abandons the sheep, leaving them prey to the dangers at hand.On this Fourth Sunday of Easter, we are reminded that it is Christ, who knows each one of us by name, and that knowing gives us new life. He knows us and he knows the Father whose love He shares with us. This echoes the great command to love God and love our neighbor.

But here the knowing of which Christ speaks is one that binds us together. All those who hear his voice are drawn in unity to that one flock that knows the one true Shepherd. Our knowing Christ makes us one. We are not merely employees.

The first reading, from Acts, similarly presents this theme of knowing. Knowing the power of Christ’s name at work in our world is what Peter preaches, knowing that Jesus Christ is the foundation.

But there is a twist. Peter wants us to know the danger, that of rejecting Jesus Christ in our lives. As Christ knows us and loves us, we for our part, can ignore and refuse to acknowledge Christ in our lives.

Most of us would be horrified to think of ourselves as rejecting Christ, of abandoning our faith. But there are other lesser ways in which we reject Christ as the basis of our life. The truth is we do grow dim in our knowing the light of Christ. In our busy life we forget all too often. We neglect to set time aside in prayer, or attend a mass or a retreat, or read a book or article on the Christian life.

These are all ways to grow in our knowledge of Christ that we take for granted. Other people too help us to know Christ in our life. Who are the people in your life that show you the face of Christ? Do we recognize how Christ is present to us even now? It may be a parent or grand-parent that showed you the love of Christ. For many of us our list will include a priest, or a sister, or a brother.

They have all been people who heard the voice of the Good Shepherd and shared that voice with us in our lives. Their vocations help us to grow in knowing Christ. That is why this Sunday, Good Shepherd Sunday, is in many diocese, a day designated as ‘Vocations Sunday’, God’s calling in our lives.

Clearly each of us, as a Christian, has a calling that was born from the font of our baptism. Sadly, we may take this vocation as a Christian for granted. If so, we need once again to hear the Shepherd’s voice calling to us amid our daily concerns and the loud drone of all our activities.

The vocation to marriage, with its unique call to parenthood, takes on its richest meaning when we, as spouse or as family, together hear God’s word in our lives. When we make time together in worship at Mass, or at prayer in our homes we hear the Shepherd’s call in our hearts. However, today when the glamour of this world rejects Christ, how do people hear God’s call, that unique sense of who I am in God’s heart?

If you hear God speaking to your heart don’t ignore such gentle voices. I don’t believe that God suddenly stopped calling people to a religious vocation. Rather, today we so easily put God on hold.

You might be into the start of your career and still a voice speaks to you. God calls us, but we for our part, must hear his voice. Don’t reject the cornerstone of your life, don’t refuse Christ’s calling for you. Explore and discover if a religious vocation is part of you.

At the end of the day, listening to this call is not wasted time. For the early Church the image of the youthful Christ shepherding his flock was an image of hope, let that same hope be yours. Hear the Shepherd’s voice speaking to your heart.

Today we celebrate St. Mark the Evangelist.  So who was he and why do we celebrate him?  The short answer is, we really don’t know.  According to Wikipedia, we have this:  

According to William Lane (1974), an “unbroken tradition” identifies Mark the Evangelist with John Mark, and John Mark as the cousin of Barnabas. However, Hippolytus of Rome in On the Seventy Apostles distinguishes Mark the Evangelist (2 Tim 4:11), John Mark (Acts 12:12, 25; 13:5, 13; 15:37), and Mark the cousin of Barnabas (Col 4:10; Phlm 1:24). According to Hippolytus, they all belonged to the “Seventy Disciples” who were sent out by Jesus to disseminate the gospel (Luke 10:1ff.) in Judea.

According to Eusebius of Caesarea (Eccl. Hist. 2.9.1–4), Herod Agrippa I, in his first year of reign over the whole of Judea (AD 41), killed James, son of Zebedee and arrested Peter, planning to kill him after the Passover. Peter was saved miraculously by angels, and escaped out of the realm of Herod (Acts 12:1–19). Peter went to Antioch, then through Asia Minor (visiting the churches in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, as mentioned in 1 Peter 1:1), and arrived in Rome in the second year of Emperor Claudius (AD 42; Eusebius, Eccl, Hist. 2.14.6). Somewhere on the way, Peter encountered Mark and took him as travel companion and interpreter. Mark the Evangelist wrote down the sermons of Peter, thus composing the Gospel according to Mark (Eccl. Hist. 15–16), before he left for Alexandria in the third year of Claudius (AD 43).

According to the Acts 15:39, Mark went to Cyprus with Barnabas after the Council of Jerusalem.

According to tradition, in AD 49, about 19 years after the Ascension of Jesus, Mark travelled to Alexandria and founded the Church of Alexandria – today, the Coptic Orthodox Church, the Greek Orthodox Church of Alexandria, and the Coptic Catholic Church trace their origins to this original community. Aspects of the Coptic liturgy can be traced back to Mark himself.  He became the first bishop of Alexandria and he is honored as the founder of Christianity in Africa.

According to Eusebius (Eccl. Hist. 2.24.1), Mark was succeeded by Anianus as the bishop of Alexandria in the eighth year of Nero (62/63), probably, but not definitely, due to his coming death. Later Coptic tradition says that he was martyred in 68.

Isn’t it fitting that the readings for today are all about pride and being humble and submitting to God’s will.   We have an example of that in St. Mark.  Here you go:

1 Peter 5:5-14 New International Version

5 In the same way, you who are younger, submit yourselves to your elders. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.”6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. 7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. 8 Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings. 10 And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. 11 To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen. 12 With the help of Silas,[b] whom I regard as a faithful brother, I have written to you briefly, encouraging you and testifying that this is the true grace of God. Stand fast in it. 13 She who is in Babylon, chosen together with you, sends you her greetings, and so does my son Mark. 14 Greet one another with a kiss of love. In verses 5,6, and 7 Peter wants us to know that God wants us to clothe ourselves in humility because as Proverbs 3:34 says: God gives grace to the humble and opposes the proud. St. Augustine said: “It was Pride that changed angels into devils, it is humility that makes men as angels.”  What is Pride? Pride is the excessive belief in one’s own abilities that interferes with the individual’s recognition of the grace of God. Its has been called the sin from which all other sins arise. Pride is also known as Vanity. It is certainly good to have pride in one’s country, community, and in oneself, but when taken too far these virtues become sins. Trust in God, realize that we are nothing and God is everything. Realize that God is in charge, not us. Trust in God, not yourself because we are proud when we trust in ourselves. When we humble ourselves in these ways, we are worthy of Gods grace.   In verses 8-11 Peter tells us to be clear minded, alert during hardships and difficult times as this is when Satan is posed to attack. When we are weak, fearful, and in doubt is when the Devil is at his strongest. He is like a lion on the prowl devouring everything he can. If you knew that a deadly lion had escaped from a zoo and was wandering around your neighborhood, you would not be standing in your front yard. N., you would be inside with your doors and windows locked. Resist him and stand firm in your faith. Know that others are resisting him with you.  In conclusion verses 12-14, Peter wants us to take away these points:  •             Prepare your minds for action, and do not conform to the passions of this world. •             Know that you are God’s holy people, chosen, precious, and valuable. •             Live honorably, and resist the Devil. •             Don’t be surprised that you suffer for the name of Jesus. People will be surprised that you do not act like them. •             Don’t be ashamed of that suffering. Place your trust in God who judges justly, just like Jesus did. •             Humble yourselves because God gives grace to the humble, not to those who trust in themselves during hard times.

Let us all live so as to follow the example of St Mark.  Let us pray:

O Almighty God, who hast instructed thy holy Church with the heavenly doctrine of thy Evangelist Saint Mark: Give us grace, that, being not like children carried away with every blast of vain doctrine, we may be established in the truth of thy holy Gospel; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Do you remember when we were kids and our parents would tell us to not do that thing because if we did, we would cause all manner of problems AND get into trouble?  And because we were us, we went right ahead and did that thing and we caused all manner of problems and got into trouble.  And our parents said, “I told you so.”

And, poor Scott.  Sometimes I feel so bad for him.  He has it rough.  You see, he lives with me.  And one of my very, very, very favorite things to say to him is, “I told you so.”  (Scott is much smarter and a heckuva lot wiser than I am, but do you think I’d let HIM know that?  Uh unh.  I ain’t doin’ it.)

And of course, there are those (infrequent, oh so very infrequent!) times Scott gets to say to me, “I told you so.”  (I hate that.)

So why do we not listen?  Why do we not accept what we are told?  Why must we, in our self-centeredness, have to learn the hard way that what God says, He means?  Or do we ever learn?  As many of you know, Jeremiah 29:11 and Romans 8:28 are two of my very favorite verses of Scripture.  Both of them give us assurance that God has things well in hand and that we really don’t need to worry about things.  And God has proved himself over and over and over and over ad infinitum in my life.  He has cared for me when I had nothing else.  He has shown Himself faithful and true and proved to me that I have no need to worry.  So WHY do I worry?  Why can I not get it through my head that I have no need to worry, I have no need to doubt?  I would dare say that many of you have had similar experiences.

Whatever the answer to that question is, we are in good company.    Over and over and over again, throughout the Hebrew and Christian scriptures both, we continually hear God tell us, “Have I not told you…  I told you….”  In the Gospel reading for today, when Cleopas and another disciple are on their way to Emmaus, Jesus appears to them and teaches them and says to them (are you ready?) “I told you so.”  (Well, actually, according the NIV  He said,  “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Luke 24:25)  They recognized Jesus and he disappeared and then they hightailed it back to Jerusalem, straight to the disciples.  And as they were telling the disciples what had happened, Jesus appeared to them all. They were, of course, amazed, frightened, excited!!!!!  And what did Jesus say?  He said, “I told you so.”  (NIV:  “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the law of Moses and in the prophets and psalms must be fulfilled.” Luke 24:44)  Now, these weren’t your every day, run of the mill, ordinary disciples.  These were THE DISCIPLES;  hand-picked by Jesus, his closest companions.  They who had witnessed miracles firsthand.  And they had trouble getting with the program and believing.  But ya know, Jesus then gave them yet another chance, kinda started from the beginning again, and did a reteach.  (NIV:  Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures.  And he said to them, “Thus it is written that the Christ would suffer and rise from the dead on the third day and that repentance, for the forgiveness of sins, would be preached in his name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.  You are witnesses of these things.” Luke 24:45-48)

How awesome is that?  Even after all the things the disciples had seen, had witnessed, had had first- hand experience with, Jesus taught them yet again.  And so it is with us.  When we truly desire to increase our faith, when we truly seek another chance to learn the lessons that Christ teaches us, He will always, always give us another chance to try again.  It is up to us to continually open ourselves to learning those lessons.  The hymnist, Clara H. Scott certainly had the words right when she wrote in 1895:

Open my eyes, that I may see

Glimpses of truth Thou hast for me;

Place in my hands the wonderful key

That shall unclasp and set me free.

Silently now I wait for Thee,

Ready my God, Thy will to see,

Open my eyes, illumine me,

Spirit divine!

Open my ears, that I may hear

Voices of truth Thou sendest clear;

And while the wave notes fall on my ear,

Everything false will disappear.

Silently now I wait for Thee,

Ready my God, Thy will to see,

Open my ears, illumine me,

Spirit divine!

Open my mind, that I may read

More of Thy love in word and deed;

What shall I fear while yet Thou dost lead?

Only for light from Thee I plead.

Silently now I wait for Thee,

Ready my God, Thy will to see,

Open my mind, illumine me,

Spirit divine!

Open my mouth, and let me bear,

Gladly the warm truth everywhere;

Open my heart and let me prepare

Love with Thy children thus to share.

Silently now I wait for Thee,

Ready my God, Thy will to see,

Open my heart, illumine me,

Spirit divine!

It is my hope and prayer that each of us open ourselves to learn the lessons that God teaches us, and that we do our utmost to learn, and to live those lessons.  Amen.

If you were going to be famous for one thing, what would it be?  I can think of a host of reasons for which I’d like to be famous.  Curing cancer.  Discovering how to teleport.  Ending world hunger.   I suppose the list goes on.  There are folks who are famous, or infamous, for doing that one thing that they prolly shouldn’t oughta have done.  Typhoid Mary.  Mrs. O’Leary and her cow.  Jim Jones.  Brutus.  Whoever designed the Ford Pinto.

And Doubting Thomas.  Thomas the Apostle—often referred to as “Doubting Thomas”—was one of the twelve main disciples of Jesus Christ. In the Gospel of John, Thomas famously doubted Jesus’ resurrection, telling the other disciples, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe” (John 20:25).

Jesus then appeared and offered to let him do just that.

So our boy, Thomas, is most noted for one thing, and one thing only.  He doubted that Jesus had been resurrected, and wanted proof.  He had to see it to believe it.  Just for the heck of it, I’m gonna share with you some “fun facts” about Thomas:  Thomas is mentioned a total of eight times between the four gospels and Acts. Most of what we learn about him comes from the Gospel of John—the only book of the New Testament that gives him any specific role.  And dig this:  In three of the times Thomas is mentioned, the Bible notes that he was called “didymos,” a Greek word meaning “twin,” which was often used as a name. Unless your name is Thomas, it may surprise you to learn that the modern name “Thomas” comes from the Aramaic word tĕʾomâ, which means . . . twin.

Yup. The Apostle Thomas doesn’t even have an actual name in the Bible. Poor guy!  Everyone literally just refers to him as “the twin.” Interestingly, tĕʾomâ is just a description in Aramaic—it doesn’t appear to be used as a name—but didymos was used as both a description and a name.  And The Bible never mentions who Thomas’ twin is. 

So there ya have it, St. Thomas the Apostle in a nutshell.  Now, let’s talk about this “doubting” thing he had goin’ on.  The bummer here, for Thomas anyway, is that, again, he’s known as the “doubter.”  But, y’all, he wasn’t the only one!  Remember when Mary Magdalene and company went to the tomb last week, found it empty, and ran back to tell the disciples that Jesus was risen?  Did they believe her.  Big ol’ nope.  The thing about Thomas though, is he got a “special appearance” by Jesus Himself:  Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you!’ Then he said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.’

Thomas said to him, ‘My Lord and my God!’

Then Jesus told him, ‘Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.’” —John 20:24–29

So, where does that leave us?   There’s this:  Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.   And when I was in teacher training many years ago, it was hammered into our heads, “Show, don’t tell.” And “If you want a behavior, teach it.” 

Same thing goes for our lives and showing the world what and who Jesus is.  Jesus ain’t gonna pop up wherever we are and say, “Yo, look!  Here I am!”  We have to do that.  Us.  You’ve heard me say it at least a zillion and one times:  You are the only Jesus some folks will ever see and the only Bible some folks will ever read.  We spread the Good News by living as Jesus has commanded us to.  (Remember that “mandate” thing I talked about on Maundy Thursday?)  We love.  Regardless of sex.  Regardless of gender, or gender identity.  Regardless of sexual preference.  Regardless of politics.  Regardless of anything else that might separate us.  There is no one on this planet who God doesn’t love.  There is no one on this planet who Jesus didn’t die for.  Period.  Love.  One.  Another. 

During this Eastertide, let us all examine our hearts, our lives, our attitudes.  We, all of us, need to check ourselves, ask ourselves, “Is what I’m doing/saying/being something that Jesus would say/be proud of/want?”  If the answer is even a tiny little negative, then maybe/perhaps/probably we need to do a bit of changing of our ways.  Again, you are the only Jesus some folks will ever see, the only Bible some folks will ever read.  We gotta do better.  We have to show the world.

Let there be no doubt about that.

I would like to start this sermon with a very beautiful orthodox prayer that Christians in eastern traditional churches sing on the occasion of Ester and it goes:

Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death, and on those in the tombs bestowing life! (Greek: Christos anesti ek nekron, thanato thanaton patisas, ke tis en tis mnimasin, zoin charisamenos)

I remember the time when I was living in an orthodox monastery as a novice. We had a special time of joyfulness during the Easter season since Easter is the most joyful Christian holiday and it brings the purpose to each human since we know that through Easter Jesus had given us everlasting forgiveness and everlasting life. When I was just a kid I used to live in one building where there were around 20 or 25 apartments. On a daily basis I was meeting neighbors greeting them on my way to school and back home. Then I remember the period of life when a few very old neighbors passed away. It was shock for me. I asked parents where did they go and they told me that they went to heaven. When I further asked if they could ever come back home from heaven the answer was no. I remember the biggest shock when one day I heard that an 18-year old beautiful girl from my building suddenly died. This very early period of time was the time when I as a kid raised awareness of death and gained knowledge that we are not eternal and we will all die sooner or later. What is interesting I didn’t have a fear of death at that time. I remember I was even curious about it. I even tried with a few friends to do a (I must emphasize NON-Christian) ritual of inviting ghosts of neighbors who passed away in order to ask them about their death experiences and find out more about what comes after. I did that because at that time as a very young curious kid I didn’t know that all those answers I could find in the Bible. As we grow we become more connected to this world and materialism. And even though it sounds a bit ironic the older we grow the bigger fear of death we raise.

Fear of death! Should Christians have that fear? I remember that somewhere I read when I was studying about phobia that the fear of death thanatophobia is one of the biggest fears which people have. There is a definition of it stating that thanatophobia is an extreme fear of death or the dying process. You might be scared of your own death or the death of a loved one. Psychotherapy can help most people overcome this disorder but I would like to add here that the biggest psychotherapy for thanatophobia is faith in what Jesus has promised us – we who believe will never die.

Jesus Has Risen (Matthew 28:1-10)

After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men. The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.” So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”

Every person someone questions what is the meaning of life. Especially when we lose someone who we love. Christians believe that the death is just a temporal separation and we are sure that we are already saved by grace and that we already live in Jesus and Jesus in us. And though He is Eternal and he destroyed death we are also eternal in Christ through faith. That is the beauty of our faith and that is why it is so special and full of hope. When I was younger I was occasionally investigating about other religions and teachings but I found that our let us call it religion is the most optimistic, the most secure and the fullest with eternal and perfect love.

Let us rejoice because the Death is beaten. The everlasting life is gifted and our Jesus is alive and he will come again in His Glory. Happy Easter! I am greeting you all with eastern Christian greeting – Christ is risen! Christ is risen indeed.

Many people tend to ignore and skip the Church’s remembrance of Holy Saturday. No one, however, gets to ignore and skip the reality of Holy Saturday within life. Holy Saturday is that time like no man’s land which lies between Good Friday and Easter Sunday. The tragedy of the sacrifice for us all by Our Lord’s crucifixion is past but the glories of our Lord’s resurrection are not yet here. We are neither here nor there. We are stuck in the middle. What was is no more and what will be is not yet clear or known to us. It may well feel as if there is no where to go and nothing to do.

Holy Saturday comes to us in many different ways but it always seems to involve death; the death of our Lord Jesus, the death of a loved one, the death of a relationship, the death of hopes and dreams. In the church calendar Holy Saturday is one day which we observe once per year. But this is often not so in life. Those of you who have suffered the death of a loved one know that you do not move from Good Friday to Easter Sunday in just one day. Holy Saturday can last months, years, or even an entire lifetime. Holy Saturday calls us to the tomb. Where else is there to go?

That’s where Mary Magdalene and the other Mary are today. Joseph of Arimathea took Jesus’ body wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, laid it in the tomb, rolled a great stone to the door of the tomb, and went away. He left. Some will do that in the Holy Saturday of life. They will close up the tomb and walk away as if there is nothing there, no possibilities for anything new. The two women, however, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary, are sitting opposite the tomb. They are silent. There is not much to say on Holy Saturday. What can be said? There are no easy or satisfactory answers.

Holy Saturday is a day of silence and stillness, waiting and wondering, remembering and hoping. Perhaps that is what faithfulness looks like on Holy Saturday. There is not much to do except be present to the reality of what is, to sit opposite the tomb.

Where is Our dear Lord Christ on Holy Saturday? Reread the Apostles’ Creed. Remind yourself that on this day “He descended to the dead” or as another translation says, “He descended into hell.” Holy Saturday is when Christ descends into the hell of our life, breaking the bonds of death, and setting the captives free.

Holy Saturday is a difficult day. We so much want joy to replace sorrow. That’s not what Jesus does. Instead, sorrow is transformed into joy, the tomb becomes a womb, and death gives birth to new life. Christ’s triumph is not apart from death but is within death. Christ is trampling down death by death and giving life to those in the tombs.

The two women of Holy Saturday will become the first people Jesus greets on Easter Sunday. So we must trust in this silence and in this waiting. We must be still. Remembering, wondering, hoping and Praying.  It is Holy Saturday and Our Lord and Saviour who loves us all is at work.

Let us pray:

O Lord Jesus Christ, for our sins you endured the cross and the grave, and on the third day you rose again from the tomb.

Just as you have cleansed us from our sins by your blood, and as we are buried with you in baptism, so by your grace, let us share in your resurrection; through your mercy,

O our God, you are blessed and live and govern all things, now and forever. Amen.

Many of us wear a crucifix around our necks to proclaim our faith, as do many of our Catholic brothers and sisters.  Many of our Protestant brothers and sisters wear a cross.  Churches throughout the world are marked by a cross.  When we pray, we “cross” ourselves.  The cross is the universal symbol of Christianity.  What’s up with that?

Crucifixion was, at one time, one of the most common methods of capital punishment used.  Lots and lots and lots of unfortunate men and women were crucified. We believe that Jesus was totally innocent of the crimes for which he was executed.  Of course, there are many men and women who have been executed for crimes which they did not commit.   Some view Jesus’ crucifixion as an honorable sacrifice made by gifted teacher. Others would point to the cross as a failure of Jesus to demonstrate His power. Like the thief who mocked Jesus saying, “If you are the Messiah then get us down from here,” critics view the cross as an insignificant death. They see Jesus as one of many who rebelled against the Roman Empire and suffered the consequences.

So what makes Jesus crucifixion so different?  Why does a world religion focus so much on the cross?  Is it that important?  Volumes and volumes of books have been written on that subject.  Wars have been fought over the cross.  The hymnist wrote: “In the cross of Christ I glory,” and we, as Christians, are called to proclaim the cross, right???

Ummm….not so much.

Proclaiming the cross means nothing……(Yes, I can hear you gasp and I can see your blood pressure rising.  Let me finish the sentence.)…..without proclaiming the resurrection.

Many contemporary Christians assume the cross has always been the focal point of Christian faith. They view the cross as the touchdown and the resurrection as the extra point. Certainly, the cross is vital to our faith, for it was the means through which Jesus atoned for our sins. But listen to Paul’s words: “If Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith . . . if Christ has not been raised then you are still in you sins” (1 Cor. 15:14, 17).  If Christ had not been raised, then he would have been no better than Dismas (the “good” thief) or anyone else who has ever been executed.

On Easter we turn our attention to the resurrection. While every Sunday worship service is a testimony that Jesus rose from the dead, Easter provides a wonderful opportunity to consider the significance of the resurrection to our faith. An interesting aspect of early Christian history is that the resurrection, not the cross, was the central theme of Christian preaching.

The early believers saw themselves as “witnesses to the resurrection” (Acts 1:15-16). Peter and John created an uproar because they were preaching about Jesus and the resurrection (Acts 4:1-2). The Bible says with great power the apostles testified to the resurrection (Acts 4:33). Several years after the crucifixion while preaching in Athens, Paul preached the “good news about Jesus and the resurrection” (Acts 17:18).

The resurrection proclaims the deity of Christ. His death on the cross may have accomplished our redemption as He paid for the sins of the world, but it did not prove to the world that Christ was God in the flesh.  Saint Paul declared that the resurrection proved that Jesus was the Son of God (Rom. 1:4). In this text of First Corinthians 15, we read that Christ conquers all enemies and destroys all dominion, and hands the kingdom over to God the Father (vv. 24-27). Everything is under the authority of Christ because of the resurrection.

But the tomb is empty, and Jesus is alive. He is the Holy Son of God who is worthy to receive glory, honor, and praise!  Jesus died for your sins and rose again to prove His sacrifice was not in vain. He is alive to declare to you and to the world that you are a unique creation of God with significant role to play in His kingdom. You are one of those precious souls who are too many to name, but considered to be the fruit or blessing of the resurrection.  The resurrection is an invitation to receive what Christ has prepared for you. His offer of eternal life is a gift that must be received. What have you done with your invitation? Jesus is alive and calling for you to receive Him today. Will you be made alive to spend eternity with the risen Savior?

Will you proclaim the cross?  Sure.  But let us even more loudly proclaim the resurrection.  Let all that we do, all that we say, proclaim that JESUS IS ALIVE!!!

Amen