April 5, 2026 Easter Sunday

April 5, 2026

Easter Sunday

Imagine the shock of visiting a loved one’s grave, only to find incontrovertible evidence that the grave has been tampered with and the body is nowhere to be found.

This is essentially Mary’s situation in the opening verses of the Gospel text, and it was also the experience of Sherene Johnson.

Ten members of the Johnson family are buried in Brighton Cemetery in Alabama. It is a town that gets a lot of rain, and it is not unusual for the cemetery to be completely underwater. Much like Louisiana, where I lived, this is a problem because when graves are submerged, especially those on hillsides, the deluge can literally raise the dead and send them floating away. After a particularly heavy rainfall, Johnson went out to the cemetery with flowers to remember her sister’s birthday. She noticed several of her family members’ headstones had been “rearranged” by the flooding. She had to pay someone about $75 per grave to reset the stones in concrete again.

Others are not so fortunate. The bodies either go missing or need to be reburied.

One observer, commenting on this increasingly common phenomenon, says that “air pockets trapped inside above-ground vaults make them more likely to float. Metal caskets, sometimes called self-sealers, have rubber gaskets, and when funeral homes close them, it creates an airtight compartment — and buoyancy. If soils get saturated, or if there is enough water for an extended period of time, caskets will float.

Mary Magdalene did not know who had come for Jesus. She had seen him die and his limp, broken body taken down from that diabolical Roman instrument of torture, the cross. She assumed now, more than 48 hours later, that her Lord was still dead in a tomb. All she knew was that he was not where he was supposed to be. This is a truth that many of us have come to understand: Jesus, so often, is not where he is supposed to be. It is a reality that speaks to the way we often project our expectations onto God, expecting God to show up in ways we can understand or predict.

Mary expected to find a lifeless body but was instead met by the risen Christ. Imagining the scene, we cannot be sure which was the bigger shock — finding the empty tomb or being scared witless when Jesus finds her wandering among the tomb and muttering to herself.

We are accustomed to looking for Jesus in all the right places, and we are surprised if we do not sense his presence in rituals, traditions, churches or cathedrals, sacred music, and so on. But we are bewildered when he acts outside of those boundaries. The empty tomb symbolizes a new reality, one that challenges our assumptions and invites us to encounter Christ in unexpected ways.

The truth is, Jesus might not seem to be present when we want him to be present, but he is there when he needs to be. Frequently, Jesus is at work in the unseen, in the brokenness, in the thin places, in the ordinariness of life where we often forget to seek him.

The other principals of the Gospel account recorded in our text are Apostles Peter and John, future authors of sacred Scripture. They ran to the tomb, racing to see for themselves what Mary had reported. In that time period, a woman’s word was simply not given credence. So, off go Peter and John. Upon arriving, they see the burial linens, but nobody. The Bible says that they saw and believed, even though they did not fully understand the importance of what was happening — much like our own journey in which we can have an intellectual understanding of what is going on but be clueless as to its significance.

The Resurrection can be daunting and confusing if we try to understand it solely from a scientific or rational perspective. Books have been written purporting to “prove” how the Resurrection was possible. Not to take away from such empirical studies, but one must remember that the Resurrection is a pivotal doctrine of our faith that does not rely only on rational or empirical possibilities.

These two great pillars of the early and ancient church entered the tomb, saw that it was devoid of a body, and believed. They believed first; understanding would come later.

This is precisely the point that Jesus makes to the Apostle Thomas, who would later, according to the Apostolic Tradition, become a missionary, venturing as far east as India. After Jesus showed Thomas the Stigmata — which Thomas refused to touch — Jesus said, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.” In other words, Jesus accuses Thomas of a belief that was based solely on empirical evidence: the wounds in Jesus’ hands.

One of the great minds of the medieval church was Saint Anselm, the 11^th century Archbishop of Canterbury, who wrote extensively about believing and understanding. He reduced the issue to a nice catch phrase, “I believe so that I may understand.” This, for Anselm, was the opposite of “I think so that I may believe.” In other words, Anselm writes, “I do not seek to understand in order that I may believe, but rather, I believe in order that I may understand.” This is what he would call “faith seeking understanding.”

Faith first; reason later. Believe first; understand later. Hebrews 11:1 defines it as: “Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen.”

Sometimes the understanding never comes. We go through the dark nights of the soul, but often joy does, in fact, come in the morning. All is revealed. The “aha” moment arrives. But it arrives when God is ready for it to arrive. This is what is meant by, “Let me sleep on it.” After a good night’s sleep, everything has a different perspective in the morning.

The empty tomb, while initially a source of distress, becomes the ultimate symbol of hope. In a world filled with uncertainty, disruption, floating tombs, fake news, slow internet access, delayed flights, climate change, children who kill children, poverty, disease, ICE forced on cities, and ever widening wars - the Resurrection of Jesus Christ provides hope that change and redemption are possible.

The Resurrection of Jesus is not just a spiritual or symbolic event; it is the physical proof of God’s victory over death. The term “first fruits” means that Jesus’ Resurrection is the first of many. Because he was raised from the dead, we, too, have the promise of Resurrection. Thus, a victory over death.

For believers, death is not the end of the story. This hope is transformative, giving us a new perspective on life and death. When we are faced with grief and loss, the Resurrection reminds us that death does not have the final word.

The Resurrection also gives us hope for the present. The hope of the Resurrection is not only for the future; it is a hope that impacts how we live today.

Many of us do not feel hopeful. We have lives that are littered with bad choices, bad people, brokenness, and loss Just when the weight of the past drags us down and we feel that our current struggles are insurmountable, Jesus shows up like he did to Mary!

Post-Resurrection believers live with courage, faith, and hope.

More to the point, the Resurrection calls us to be people of hope. As followers of Jesus, we are called to carry this hope into the world. The Resurrection is not just for our personal benefit; it is a message we are entrusted to share with others.

Catholicism is not just a religion; it is a way of life. When we live out this way of life, we change. Life changes. Others might see and change also. We do not need to do big things; we do not need to be extroverts. It can be as simple as praying the rosary at various times and places, maybe as we walk or out for a run. Carry it with you always as a reminder to pray. Maybe it will help you be more conscious of your faith. Dust off the Bible on the top shelf and actually read it – not once in a while, but daily. Do so in front of others; do not be afraid to quote something from it during a conversation. Wear scapulas, crucifixes, or clothes that shows your faith. Start saying grace and thanking Our Blessed Lord for the food we eat. Do you make the Sign of the Cross when you are not at church? Are you really so busy that you cannot live out your faith, not just the few times you come to Mass? Are we too ashamed to do these things? Are we afraid of what others might think?

People of hope are living proof that the Resurrection is real — not just as a historical event, but a daily reality in the way we live, love, and serve others.

The Resurrection of Jesus, therefore, reminds us that death has been defeated, that God’s power is greater than our darkest moments, and that new life is always possible. The hope of the Resurrection is for all who believe, and it transforms how we see the world and how we live our lives.

On this Easter Sunday, as we celebrate the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, let us remember that Jesus is likely to turn up when we least expect him. Will we be ashamed upon gazing at him? Will we open the door if he knocks? Keep in mind that our lives are journeys toward understanding, and that there is hope for both the now and the hereafter.

May we live in the hope of the Resurrection, today and always.

Let us pray.

In today’s Gospel we watch Mary of Magdala go to the tomb of our lord to anoint his body, only to find it empty. Mary tells two of his Apostles, who in turn go to the tomb and see the same. Jesus then appears to say he has Resurrected. What great excitement they must have been experienced and with greater understanding of Jesus’ teaching, they spread the message of the Gospel. May we too have the excitement this day to go and proclaim that He is Risen! We pray to the Lord.

That by our mercy and compassion, we in the Church may raise our brothers and sisters out of their pain and suffering, sharing the Good News of the risen Christ with them. We pray to the Lord.

That the peace Christ brings us on Easter morning extend to the nations of the world, filling their hearts with justice and healing. We pray for peace especially in the Middle East and Ukraine. We pray to the Lord.

For the leaders of the world who are the chosen representatives of the people, that they may govern so as to bring about wholesome development of the people under their care. We pray to the Lord.  

For all Christians that they may recommit themselves to the faith that they have received at their baptism and show willingness to live the faith with earnestness. We pray to the Lord.  

For all of us present at this Eucharistic assembly that the celebration of Easter may motivate us to proclaim the message of Easter with boldness and courage as the Apostles did. We pray to the Lord.

For the courage to search for Christ. May the disciples inspire us to run toward the empty tomb. May Christ stir the hearts of all bowed down by despair and doubt. May Christ lift our sights upon his face. We pray to the Lord.

For people who starve for justice and freedom. May our immigrants, prisoners, and survivors of war, find new hope in Christ Jesus. May we work diligently for the well-being of all nations. May war end and gunfire cease. We pray to the Lord.

We pray for new vocations to the priesthood. We pray to the Lord.

We pray that those with ample means may be led to our parish where they will be inspired to give generously. We pray to the Lord.

For those on our parish prayer list, that they may receive swift answers to their needs and that they may find consolation through Christ’s healing presence. We pray to the Lord.

We bow our heads and remember in silence our own personal intentions and the intentions of those who have asked for our prayers (pause). We pray to the Lord.        

God, giver of life, victor over death: While we rejoice with boundless joy in the resurrection of the Lord, we recall, for self-examination, some of the men and women who played a part in the tragedy and triumph of those three days.

We remember his mother and the disciples who watched him die and the unnamed Roman soldier who showed him pity by giving him a little wine in that sponge.

We recall with gratitude the compassion of Joseph of Arimathea, who risked the displeasure of his fellow judges on the high court, when he provided a decent tomb for our Lord’s burial, and the devotion of the women who were ready to prepare his body, according to the dictates of the Law, for its final rest.

We remember with a quickened heartbeat the resurgence of faith in the hearts of Peter and John and their historic race to the empty tomb, and the stubborn faith of Mary Magdalene, who loved our Lord so much because he had forgiven her so much.

We recall the treachery of Judas, but we know that the Pascal event was all part of your plan, we can come to know that the Lord, who commanded us to love our enemies, would forgive even the disciple who betrayed him.

We evoke, with understanding and sympathy, that deeply stricken disciple, Thomas, who wanted so much to believe the unbelievably good news, but was unable to believe until the Lord himself dispelled his agonizing doubt.

Loving God, we acknowledge that, at the death of someone we have loved or when face to face with our own end, our reactions are likely to be just as mixed, just as unheroic as were those of our Lord’s earliest followers. Grant us strength, that our faith may hold firm in crisis. Help us never to forget the promise of our risen Lord: “Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Aware of his presence and of his redeeming love, may we face the death of loved ones as well as the end of our own journey unafraid and armed with the Easter assurance.

You say to us, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.” We do not seek to understand in order that we may believe, but rather, we believe in order that we may understand.

We ask all these things through Christ Our Lord. Amen.

God Love You +++

The Most Rev. Robert Winzens

Pastor – St. Francis Chapel

San Diego, CA.

As a small parish, we come to you all as beggars! Share with us this Christmas, a little sacrifice for the Christ Child. Your generous support also allows us to continue these important projects that fuel the movement of progressive Christianity. Thank you and God bless you! +++

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