Easter Sunday - The Resurrection of the Lord

Early in the morning, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb. The stone was rolled away. She ran.

Peter and John raced to the tomb. John got there first but waited. Peter went in. He saw the burial cloths lying there, and the cloth that had covered his head, rolled up in a separate place. Then John went in. He saw and believed.

That's the whole Gospel this morning. No dramatic appearance. No angels with trumpets. Just an empty tomb, folded cloths, and a disciple who saw and believed. The resurrection is announced not with fanfare but with absence. He is not here. The place where they laid him is empty.

Peter's sermon in Acts fills in the rest: this man God raised on the third day. We ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. He is the one appointed by God as judge of the living and the dead. Everyone who believes in him will receive forgiveness of sins.

Paul says it simply: if you were raised with Christ, seek what is above. Think of what is above, not of what is on earth. Your life is hidden with Christ in God.

For families: Happy Easter. He is risen. Say it to each other this morning before anything else. Before the eggs. Before the baskets. Before the ham. He is risen. He is truly risen. That is the reason for everything else today.

The forty days of Lent are over. The fast is broken. The feast has come. Celebrate today with everything you have - food, family, joy, laughter. But celebrate because of the empty tomb. Everything else is decoration. The tomb is the point.

As a family, pray together:

• For the Church on Easter morning: that the joy of the Resurrection would overflow into every corner of the world. Alleluia! Lord, hear our prayer.

• For the neophytes who were baptized last night: that their first Easter morning as Catholics would be filled with wonder. Lord, hear our prayer.

• For our family: that we would seek what is above, think of what is above, and live as people who have been raised with Christ. Alleluia! Lord, hear our prayer.

• For the faithful departed: that the Risen Christ who conquered death would raise them to the feast that never ends. Alleluia! Lord, hear our prayer.

Happy Easter. Say it like you mean it. He is risen. He is truly risen. Now go celebrate. The feast is here.