Easter2005

THE LORD IS RISEN!

ALLELUIA!

By Fr. Julio Gonzalez, SF.

This morning we have come to share and celebrate the most important beliefs of our Christian faith:

that death is not the end of our journey;

that we were not created to die, but to live;

that we cannot enjoy life without love;

that there is no true love without suffering for one another.

We are joined in Christian faith because we have come to believe in Jesus Christ as the way, the truth and the life.

What way is this? Jesus, the way, is the way of the cross. The Lord didn't promise a golden crown to his disciples. Poor is the man or the woman afraid of the joys and sorrows of true love.

And the truth, what truth is this? That Jesus is the true man. Jesus is the image of the true son, very different from the Pharaohs, Caesars and Pilates of our world. A man without sin. The first human being was created without sin, and we can die with the grace of our sins forgiven.

And Jesus is the life, what life is this? The life that comes from God. The life that created us in the wombs of our mothers. The life that we have not made ourselves because it is beyond our hands.

To believe! To have faith! What precious virtues! Have you ever met a person without beliefs? I hope not, for a person without beliefs would be spiritually dead. So you know that to believe is not something odd or enigmatic. Actually, the believer is a person spiritually hungry and thirsty. The believer is not caught in the trap of a comfortable life; his heart, his efforts... aim at something else.

If you went on a pilgrimage during Lent, you know that there is no fantasy in the pilgrims. They are people with their feet on the ground. They are not superhuman beings, but their energy, their strength, come from their faith and beliefs, from the person they follow or walk with.

During Lent we had said that we don't follow a book, that our hope is not in the law, but in a person. The passion and crucifixion of Jesus shows the power of a heartless law. But beyond laws, we believe in a person: Jesus Christ! And Jesus is not a ghost or a phantom! Don't be confused...

You are free to believe in him. Common people like fishermen, shepherds, farmers, housekeepers... believed in Jesus. They felt his compassion and mercy. The Lord shared their lives: their burdens, their cross. Common people: people with broken hearts, doubtful minds. People wounded by pain, fears, betrayals..., gave testimony to the resurrection of Jesus. How can we believe them? Well, we believe them because this people divided by sin were healed, enlightened by the risen Jesus.

To believe in the risen Jesus –to have a Christian faith–, is not some kind of theory or idea and is not the wisdom of this world indeed. This world puts aside the ones that don't produce: the unborn child that annoys, the elderly and the sick without resources, the immigrant without documents... This world puts aside any hope in the salvation of the condemned, the abandoned, the lost. How can the children of this world believe in Jesus if they don't believe in compassion, mercy, forgiveness, life beyond death? How can this world believe in Jesus? Do you have an idea?

Let me tell you: through us! Through his disciples, through his church. Forget that the resurrection of Jesus is written in a book. His word, passion, death, and resurrection are not meant to be read, but to be witnessed so the world can understand and believe!

The stories and laws of the Old Testament didn't change the heart of Peter and the apostles. They were necessary to prepare them to believe in Jesus, but the law didn't open their eyes. Peter, Paul, the apostles became Christians after they saw, heard, ate with Jesus again, after his death. In their distress, they could only recognize him when He wished them peace, when he showed his wounds still open to them, and when all of them together celebrated the Holy Eucharist.

So, we have a pace to follow!

Welcome to the Easter season.



		THE LORD IS RISEN! ALLELUIA! By Fr. Julio Gonzalez, SF. This morning we have come to share and celebrate the most important beliefs of our Christian faith: that death is not the end of our journey; that we were not created to die, but to live; that we cannot enjoy life without love; that there is no true love without suffering for one another. We are joined in Christian faith because we have come to believe in Jesus Christ as the way, the truth and the life. What way is this? Jesus, the way, is the way of the cross. The Lord didn't promise a golden crown to his disciples. Poor is the man or the woman afraid of the joys and sorrows of true love. And the truth, what truth is this? That Jesus is the true man. Jesus is the image of the true son, very different from the Pharaohs, Caesars and Pilates of our world. A man without sin. The first human being was created without sin, and we can die with the grace of our sins forgiven. And Jesus is the life, what life is this? The life that comes from God. The life that created us in the wombs of our mothers. The life that we have not made ourselves because it is beyond our hands. To believe! To have faith! What precious virtues! Have you ever met a person without beliefs? I hope not, for a person without beliefs would be spiritually dead. So you know that to believe is not something odd or enigmatic. Actually, the believer is a person spiritually hungry and thirsty. The believer is not caught in the trap of a comfortable life; his heart, his efforts... aim at something else. If you went on a pilgrimage during Lent, you know that there is no fantasy in the pilgrims. They are people with their feet on the ground. They are not superhuman beings, but their energy, their strength, come from their faith and beliefs, from the person they follow or walk with. During Lent we had said that we don't follow a book, that our hope is not in the law, but in a person. The passion and crucifixion of Jesus shows the power of a heartless law. But beyond laws, we believe in a person: Jesus Christ! And Jesus is not a ghost or a phantom! Don't be confused... You are free to believe in him. Common people like fishermen, shepherds, farmers, housekeepers... believed in Jesus. They felt his compassion and mercy. The Lord shared their lives: their burdens, their cross. Common people: people with broken hearts, doubtful minds. People wounded by pain, fears, betrayals..., gave testimony to the resurrection of Jesus. How can we believe them? Well, we believe them because this people divided by sin were healed, enlightened by the risen Jesus. To believe in the risen Jesus –to have a Christian faith–, is not some kind of theory or idea and is not the wisdom of this world indeed. This world puts aside the ones that don't produce: the unborn child that annoys, the elderly and the sick without resources, the immigrant without documents... This world puts aside any hope in the salvation of the condemned, the abandoned, the lost. How can the children of this world believe in Jesus if they don't believe in compassion, mercy, forgiveness, life beyond death? How can this world believe in Jesus? Do you have an idea? Let me tell you: through us! Through his disciples, through his church. Forget that the resurrection of Jesus is written in a book. His word, passion, death, and resurrection are not meant to be read, but to be witnessed so the world can understand and believe! The stories and laws of the Old Testament didn't change the heart of Peter and the apostles. They were necessary to prepare them to believe in Jesus, but the law didn't open their eyes. Peter, Paul, the apostles became Christians after they saw, heard, ate with Jesus again, after his death. In their distress, they could only recognize him when He wished them peace, when he showed his wounds still open to them, and when all of them together celebrated the Holy Eucharist. So, we have a pace to follow! Welcome to the Easter season.