CATHOLIC HOMILY FOR EASTER SUNDAY

CATHOLIC HOMILY FOR EASTER SUNDAY

HOMILY THEME: …”WHO WILL ROLL BACK THE STONE FOR US FROM THE ENTRANCE TO THE TOMB?”

BY: Fr. Clem C. Aladi.

HOMILY FOR EASTER SUNDAY:

GOSPEL: JOHN 20: 1-9

My dearest People of God, with Joy of the Resurrected Lord I welcome you to this Easter Sunday Celebration. Shout Alleluia! Alleluia!! Alleluia!!! for He has risen indeed. The power of death could not hold Him bound.

Throughout the Sundays of Lent, the church invited us to fast, to pray, to give arms , to renew our covenant with God, to prepare ourselves to face temptations of the world, the self and the devil. We followed our Lord closely on the path of suffering and pains. We denied and deprived ourselves many pleasures in order to strengthen the grace of God in Us. We followed Jesus on that path of suffering and shame. On Palm Sunday He was welcomed triumphantly into Jerusalem and was later condemned to die. On Holy Thursday, he gave us the greatest gift of His abiding presence with us in the Eucharist. On good Friday He finally paid the price of our sin with his body on the cross and declared that the work of redemption of man is finished. On holy Saturday he laid in the grave and descended into hell but on the third day He rose again.

Who could have believed that the stone that covered the grave could be rolled away. This was the anxiety of these devout women who went to anoint his body in the early morning hours of that glorious day. Who could have believed that He who was crucified and died could ever rise again? Jesus demonstrated His omnipotent power by overcoming the power of death the last enemy of man. He broke the chains of enslavement that held him captive in the grave and rose gloriously into newness of life to reign forever as the king of heaven and Earth. The resurrection of Christ is the basis of our Christian Faith it is the greatest of all miracles — it proves that Jesus is God. That is why St. Paul writes: “If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain; and your Faith is in vain(cf 1cor 14:15)

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My dearest the our earthly experience often swings between suffering and Joy. It was His suffering that brought us new life and the joy we celebrate today. God could save the world through any other means but He chose to take way of the cross, the way of suffering and death to redeem us. He did not avoid the pains of good Friday to Win the crown of Easter Sunday. He embraced the cross to win the crown of glory, this is a great lesson to us all. In this world of pain, sorrows and tears, Easter reminds us that life is worth living. It is our belief in the Real Presence of the Risen Jesus in our souls, in His Church, in the Blessed Sacrament and in Heaven that gives meaning to our personal, as well as to our common, prayers. Our trust in the all-pervading presence of the Risen Lord gives us strength to fight against temptations and freedom from unnecessary worries and fears.

My dearest you may still be in great anxiety like those devout women on who will roll away the stone of your suffering, pains, enslavement, sickness, barrenness, poverty, unsuccessfulness, challenges and difficulties. The resurrected Lord is the Answer. We are no longer afraid because we are convinced that He who raised Jesus from the dead will all raise us up on the last day that is why the resurrection of Christ is a pledge of our own resurrection (cf.Jn 11:25-26). We are convinced that the power that broke the shackles of death will liberate us from the captivities of earthly bondage. So child of God have faith in the resurrected Lord. His power is manifested in the lives of those who have faith and trust in him. Your story will not end on Good Friday, your Easter , your victory must surely come. In short, the message of Easter is that nothing can destroy us – not pain, sin, rejection or death – because Christ has conquered all these, and we too can conquer them if we put our Faith in Him.

As we celebrate in this glorious season of Easter, remain firm to your Lenten resolutions. We are not supposed to lie buried in the tomb of our sins, evil habits and dangerous addictions. Easter gives us the Good News that no tomb can hold us down anymore – not the tomb of despair, discouragement or doubt, nor that of death. Instead, we are expected to live a joyful and peaceful life, constantly experiencing the real presence of the Risen Lord in all the events of our lives. Remember that the struggle to overcome sin continues. The devil is not asleep, so we must not go on holidays from fasting , praying and almsgiving.

May the power of the resurrection make you victorious in all your difficulties and liberate you from any force(s) that holds you bound from rising again, or any power that hold you in captivity
I declare your freedom child of God and may you continue to enjoy the liberty of the children of God. We are Easter people and Alleluia is our song. Let us go therefore and spread this goodness, spreading peace, love, joy among all men. Let this Easter joy bring to an end all conflicts, enmity misunderstanding, forgiveness etc. Let the light of Christ shine in our hearts again.

I keep you and your Family always in my Prayers as I wish you a peaceful and gracefilled Easter celebrations.

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