FR. BEN’S HOMILY FOR EASTER SUNDAY YEAR C (1)

FR. BEN’S HOMILY FOR EASTER SUNDAY YEAR C

THEME: RECENT HAPPENINGS IN JUDEA…

BY: Ben Agbo (Rev Fr)

HOMILY FOR SUNDAY APRIL 17 2022

*Act 10 : 34 – 43, Col 3 : 1 – 4, Jn 20 : 1 – 9.

A. PREAMBLE
Every good teacher knows that revision is very important after a series of marathon lessons have been administered. And that is why I have decided for this Easter morning’s message to attempt a summary of the central lessons we gathered from the holy week homilies especially the triduum.
On Holy Thursday, we learnt the importance of the Mass as a continuation of that ancient feast in honour of the Lord. We saw the institution of the priesthood for the offering of the sacrifice of the mass in memorial of the Lord’s pasch and the message of humility in service passed by Jesus’ washing of the feet of the apostles.

On Good Friday, we saw the various ways we Christians still betray Christ, deny him, slap him, condemn him, fail to believe in him and in the gift of his mother.
On Holy Saturday, we celebrated the light of Christ that dispelled the darkness of sin and death and made a special commitment towards remembering HIS WORD always. His Word has earlier on affirmed that death could not hold him captive. Even in the grave, Jesus is lord.

B. MESSAGE TO THE HOUSE OF CORNELIUS
I am doing this summary because Peter himself did it in today’s 1st reading at the family of Cornelius. He told them: ‘You must have heard about the recent happenings in Judea…I and those with me can witness to everything he did in Judea and Jerusalem and also to the fact that they killed him by hanging him on a tree and after 3 days God raised him from the dead (this concept is called lower Christology) and allowed him to be seen not by the whole people but by certain believers/ witnesses…and we are those witnesses’.

This kind of summative message about the essential history of salvation is called ‘Kerygma’ – It is the basic message of salvation which we usually preach to unbelievers or those who have forgotten the message of salvation or not understood it. We Christians, surrounded by Atheists, Muslims, African traditional believers and other non Christian groups must continue to bear this witness through this kind of preaching.

C. THE EARLY MORNING RACE!
A lot of early morning race took place as recorded in today’s gospel;

1. The first race was taken by Mary Magdalene from the tomb after witnessing the miracle of the empty tomb. She ran as fast as her legs could carry her to announce that news to the apostles.
2. The second race was taken simultaneously by the two apostles Peter and John with John outrunning Peter but Peter being the first to enter the tomb and witness the evidence of the empty tomb and the well arranged linen clothes.

The gospel message however ended on a negative note that till this moment, many in Israel and all over the world has failed to understand the teaching of the scripture that he must rise from the dead. Only those who remembered this teaching believed in Christ till today.

D. YOU MUST LOOK FOR HEAVENLY THINGS!
The 2nd reading gives us the final advice: ‘Since you have been brought back to true life in Christ, you must look for the things that are in heaven’.

It was avarice in the 1st place that made Judas to betray his master. The spirit of Judas is the spirit of avarice, hypocrisy and fortune telling.

It was timidity and lack of spiritual strength/ devotion to prayer that made Peter deny his master.
Many of us are still betraying and denying Jesus in our different villages. Many of us are still slapping and condemning Jesus when we abuse the Eucharist and celebrate our weddings and funerals as if the Eucharist is not important.

We betray Christ when we hand over our daughters in marriage to unbelievers or to go and live with their suitors without wedding.
We slap him when we carry pregnancies without the sacrament of matrimony. We deny him when we fail to say the truth in our village meetings. We betray him when we give money to the ‘Chief priests of Satan’ to intervene for us in moments of trials and temptations.
We slap him when we support our children to wear masquerades and be beating up the children of God who are moving about their normal business.

E. CONCLUSION
The message of this morning is that Jesus is risen. Death could not hold him captive. We Christians must also rise with him in the spirit; from the weaknesses of our habitual sins, from the weaknesses of our devotional laxity, from the weaknesses of our temperaments – anger, lust, pride and vanities and begin to join the apostles in bearing witness to Christ wherever we are. Happy Easter beloved friends!