Sunday, April 20, 2025

Easter Vigil – Year C

Homily by Father Emmanuel Schwab

Reading: Romans 6:3b-11

Gospel: Luke 24,1:12-XNUMX

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When you search the writings of Saint Therese on the word “resurrected” or the word “resurrection,” you really don’t find much. Likewise, if you search on “grave” or “tomb”… There are only two allusions to Mary Magdalene leaning into the tomb. This is because, in fact, for Saint Therese, the resurrection is first and foremost the presence of Jesus living forever, stronger than death. It is the constant presence of Jesus at her side, and she expresses this greatly in expressions like “Jesus made me feel,” or in the present tense, “Jesus makes me feel.” Or when she reads Scripture, she says: “Jesus tells me” or “Jesus tells us,” and often, when she speaks to Céline. It is a word, it is the word of a living person, Jesus is there. And even when Jesus is there while seeming not to be there, I mean when in prayer Thérèse experiences absence, emptiness, by faith, she assures us that Jesus is there but that he is sleeping and that he has this freedom to sleep at her house.

The Gospel clearly shows us how this event of the resurrection leaves those who hear its announcement perplexed. The women themselves are bewildered before the open tomb where there are only the linen cloths. It takes the announcement of these two men—Luke does not speak of angels—to remind them of the Lord's words and then, remembering his words, the event begins to become decipherable. But when they speak about it to the apostles, we are told: "These words seemed delusional to them, and they did not believe them."

Yes, this event is a formidable event in the sense that it completely transforms the history of mankind. If Jesus is truly risen—that is, truly dead and truly alive, stronger than death—then the history of mankind changes. I insist on saying: "He died and he is alive, stronger than death," because today we are faced with a temptation of immortality that is no longer about being victorious over death, but which is, at bottom, about pushing death back indefinitely...

In the person of the risen Jesus, creation has reached its fullness, its accomplishment.

In the risen Jesus, death is conquered.

In the risen Jesus, life prevails for eternity.

And now, in baptism, as we heard in the reading of this passage from chapter 6 of the letter to the Romans, we have been united to the death of the Lord. We have already passed into death so that the life of the Risen One may already flow in our veins, so that the life of the Risen One may already sustain us: we have already entered into eternity.

And this is how Paul can tell us: “Consider yourself dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.” And when can sin take over our lives again? It is when we no longer live for God. When we leave it aside: either we leave it aside to hide from it, or we leave it aside thinking that we have acquired enough wisdom and know-how to do things on our own. And Saint Therese then calls us to order by saying to us: but you know, you are like me, I am very small. I am not capable of much. I cannot climb the great staircase of holiness. I need Jesus, not once in a while, but permanently. And it is with every beat of my heart that I give myself to the mercy of God. You are not stronger…

We are poor sinners filled with weakness. And if God has given us the grace of having endurance, or of having willpower, or of having an intelligence that understands quickly, or of having know-how in this or that area, we can only truly exercise them by permanently recognizing that it is a grace, that it is a grace! And that the gifts that are mine, the charisms that are mine do not depend on me, but on God. And it is by welcoming them with gratitude, with recognition, without ceasing, that we can exercise them rightly and let ourselves be led by the Lord, by his Passion and by his Cross to the glory of his resurrection.

Blessed be God, who in Jesus came to seek us even from the abode of the dead.

Blessed be God, who now makes known to us the mystery of Salvation.

Amen

Father Emmanuel Schwab, Rector of the Shrine