The Sound of Silence

No Joke - Homily for the Fifth Sunday of Lent, The Third Scrutiny

          Just the other day, it dawned on me that Easter Sunday falls on April Fools' Day this year.  Now with the way my mind works, I started thinking about what the first Easter would have been like if it had fallen on April 1^st.  Imagine Mary Magdalene telling Peter and John that the tomb is empty; they run to the tomb to see for themselves, and the guards say: “April Fools!”  Imagine how different our Easter traditions would be, hunting for Easter eggs for hours, only to learn that none were hidden in the first place.  “April Fools!”  The possibilities are endless.  Well, fortunately for us, the resurrection is no joke, and that’s the message of today’s readings.

Our readings this morning address the linchpin of our faith:  the Resurrection.  “In the raising of Lazarus, Christ showed not only that he has power to raise the dead to life but also that he himself is the Resurrection and the life.”[1]  By raising Lazarus from the dead, Jesus fulfilled God’s promise foretold by the Prophet Ezekiel in our first reading: “I will open your graves and have you rise from them.”  The fact is, “[o]ur hope for resurrection and eternal life hinges entirely on Christ’s Resurrection and his redemption.”[2]  For Christians, then, the Resurrection is no joke.

          From the very first Easter Sunday, whether it fell on April 1^st or not, Christians have believed that Jesus was resurrected from the dead and that through him, with him, and in him, we will be resurrected, too.  “The Christian faith stands or falls with the truth of the testimony that Christ is risen from the dead [because] only if Christ is risen has anything really new occurred that changes the world and the situation of mankind.”[3]  As Saint Paul so bluntly put it, “[i]f Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain” (1 Corinthians 15: 14).  I’m here to assure you that your faith is not in vain; it’s no joke.

          Very simply put, resurrection is rising from the dead to new life with God.  “It's our human life - yes, still bodily - but now lived at a higher level, spiritualized and glorified.”[4]  Now, we have to make an important distinction here:  Lazarus wasn’t resurrected; Jesus resuscitated Lazarus; he brought Lazarus back to this life, so Lazarus would die again.  Resuscitation happens in Emergency Rooms every day.  A natural event like the resuscitation of a dead man doesn’t change our lives, it’s existentially irrelevant (though, admittedly, a pretty big deal for the dead man).  By contrast, Jesus didn’t return to his normal human life like Lazarus.  He entered a different life, a new, eternal life.  He entered into God’s life, and he brought us with him.  That makes all the difference in the world.  Jesus makes this distinction clear to Martha when he tells her that he is the Resurrection and the life. 

    

          Whether or not we receive this new, resurrected life depends on how we answer the question Jesus posed to Martha:  Do you believe this?  “To believe in Jesus means to accept everything that Jesus said as absolutely true, and to stake our lives upon that in perfect trust.”[5]  That’s a tall order.  In a world obsessed with scientific rationalism and challenged by sin, believing in God and his promise of eternal happiness and peace can be difficult.  Yet, we have every reason to believe. 

Historical and Biblical evidence tell us that in Jesus’ time, there was no shortage of individuals claiming to be the long-awaited Messiah.  All, but one, faded into oblivion.  Only one appeared to more than five hundred witnesses after his death (1 Corinthians 15: 6).  Then look happened?  The disciples, who were so terrified for their own lives after the crucifixion that they went into hiding, emerged three days later proclaiming the Good News of the Resurrection to the world.  “Only a real event of a radically new quality could possibly have given rise to the apostolic preaching.” [6]  The fact that the Apostles were willing to risk and give their lives for the faith can’t be explained by hallucinations, mystical experiences or an elaborate conspiracy to make up a really good story.  Such a story couldn’t have resulted in a radically new religious tradition that would spread throughout the world and endure more than two millennia.

          All of that said, I think the best testimony for the truth of the Resurrection is the very real impact that Jesus has on us today.  Jesus compels us to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and visit the sick, the lonely and the imprisoned.  Jesus moves us to forgive those who hurt us and reconcile with our estranged friends and relatives.  Jesus calls us to love our neighbor and promote peace in our world today.  And if all of that doesn’t convince you, if Christ weren’t alive and working in us today, why in the world would we all get up early on the morning after Saint Patrick’s Day to come to Church?  Saint Paul says it best in our second reading:  when Christ is in you, your Spirit is alive.  The profound inspiration that continues to work in us to change the world for the better can’t be the work of a dead man.  None of this would make sense but for Christ’s Resurrection from the dead and the promised resurrection of those who believe.  Let’s face it, believing all that Jesus taught, especially about the Resurrection, is a lifelong journey.  Whether we’re joining the Church in two weeks, or Cradle Catholics, we have to struggle continually to deepen our faith in Christ, believing that the Resurrection is real; it’s no joke.

          On April first, we’ll gather together as a community of believers to celebrate Christ’s saving Passion, his wondrous Resurrection and Ascension into heaven like we do every Sunday.  To emphasize the importance of the Resurrection to our faith, Pope Francis has ordered champagne at all Masses on Easter Sunday this year.  April Fools!  Could you imagine how crowded Mass would be if that were true?  No, receiving the promise of Christ’s Resurrection doesn’t require champagne or even fancy clothes.  It requires that we believe.  Historical, Biblical and spiritual evidence give us every reason to believe.  We’d be fools not to. 

Readings: Ezekiel 37: 12-14; Psalm 130; Romans 8: 8-11; John 11: 1-45

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[1] The Didache Bible (San Francisco, Ignatius Press, 2014) note to John 11: 1-44, p. 1432.

[2] Id. at 1433.

[3] Pope Benedict XVI, Jesus of Nazareth, Holy Week: From the Entrance into Jerusalem to the Resurrection (San Francisco, Ignatius Press, 2011) p. 214-242.

[4] Robert Barron, “The Meaning of Resurrection,” Lenten Reflections with Father Robert Barron, Easter Sunday, (April 5, 2015).

[5] William Barclay, The Gospel of John, vol. 2 (Louisville, Westminster John Knox Press, 2001) p. 110.

[6] Pope Benedict XVI, p. 275.