The Mystery of Easter

Did you follow the recent scandal about the “new” tomb of Jesus Christ? Have you been disturbed by the shock waves sent out by the media over the book by James Tabor and the documentary by James Cameron? If you missed all the excitement, don’t be concerned. Nobody has any plans to rewrite the catechism. Be secure in your belief about the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

The controversy, which was timed to promote an upcoming documentary, was about the discovery of a tomb containing the bones of a family with names resembling those of Jesus, Mary, James, Matthew and Jude. This is thought to be the “real” tomb of Jesus Christ, a claim that would deny the Resurrection and give Jesus an earthly family. Scholars have exchanged arguments on this subject for some time. What you and I should know is that there is no definitive evidence to validate Tabor’s claims. Case closed.

Here’s what I believe: Jesus Christ rose once and for all eternity, but his earthly skeptics and detractors rise and fall every spring. Each new scandal takes on a different shape and proposes new doubts. Most, if not all, of the discoveries tend to be based on pseudo-science or misleading interpretations of partial truths. Recent examples include the Da Vinci Code and variations on the Gnostic texts, such as the Judas gospel. Their central aim is to attack the divinity of Jesus Christ and thus bring down the Christian faith.

Christos anesti, goes the chant in Greek churches at Easter. “Christ is risen.” Make no mistake about it. And not only has He risen, but He is the Resurrection and the Life. In rising from the dead, He conquered death and all forms of evil. He opened the gates to eternal life for those who believe in Him. This is what we celebrate at Easter, regardless of the annoying cynics and rumor-mongers that inhabit the media.

Don’t let Easter become a controversy or a topic for idle discussion at your dinner table. Remember that it is above all a mystery that calls us and even tests our faith. Here are three considerations that will help me deepen my sense of Easter:

1. Easter is the season of joy and hope. Easter is an invitation to a radical new way of seeing life and reality. It demands a willing surrender. The risen Christ will reward our faith with a deeper joy and hope than we have ever known in our hearts. As St. Paul reminds us, we shall be conformed to the image of the risen Christ.

2. Praise and glorify God. Make a fresh effort to see and glorify God in all things. The great Jesuit poet, Gerard Manley Hopkins, taught us to see how “the world is charged with the grandeur of God.” He translated his sense of Easter into an awareness of how God is present in every detail, including the trivial and unpleasant events that mark our lives.

3. Rise up with Christ. Remember that the risen Lord brings healing and renewed life. He showed his own wounds to his disciples as proofs of his love. His wounds were transformed into marks of glory. He will similarly transform our broken selves and our bruises into shining new realities. The resurrection brings healing and transformation.

This is what we celebrate at Easter.