April 5, 2026 • 14 mins
EASTER IS THE MOST SPECTACULAR DAY SINCE CREATION!
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SPEAKER_00 (01:38):
Right now you should be standing because that was the
hallelujah.
It was the longest hallelujah.
It's a Mozart rendition and itwas beautifully proclaimed
before the gospel.
The Lord be with you.
A reading from the Holy Gospelaccording to John.
(01:58):
On that first day of the week,Mary of Magdala came to the tomb
early in the morning while itwas still dark and saw the stone
removed from the tomb.
So she ran and went to SimonPeter and to the other disciple
(02:21):
whom Jesus loved and told themthey have taken the Lord from
the tomb, and we don't knowwhere they put him.
So Peter and the other disciplewent out and came to the tomb.
They both ran, but the otherdisciple ran faster than Peter
(02:46):
and arrived at the tomb first.
He bent down and saw the burialcloths there, but did not go in.
When Simon Peter arrived afterhim, he went into the tomb and
saw the burial cloths, and thecloth that covered his head not
(03:13):
with the burial cloths, butrolled up in a separate place.
Then the other disciple alsowent in.
The one who had arrived firsthad the tomb.
He saw and believed.
(03:34):
For they did not yet understandthe scripture that he had to
rise from the dead.
The gospel of the Lord JesusChrist.
SPEAKER_01 (03:53):
That's heavy.
SPEAKER_00 (04:01):
Sometimes those who decorate for liturgical events
are more interested in artisticrendition than practicality.
That gospel book has to weightwenty pounds.
(04:21):
It's beautiful.
We only use it on severalspecial occasions, and I'm glad
Doug is strong enough to carryit in procession to the ambo
because I couldn't even lift it,as you saw all the way, to
respect it, to kiss it.
The resurrection of Jesus.
(04:45):
Some say it was the mostoutstanding event since we
landed on the moon.
But now that we're contemplatinggoing to the moon again and
riding around it, we have toreconsider that statement.
But we can consider thestatement from the perspective
(05:08):
of the resurrection of Jesus asbeing a spectacular event.
We can't imagine it.
We can see the pictures, we cansee the representations, but
Jesus Christ embracing death onthe cross and God the Father
(05:31):
resurrecting him.
You know, that resurrection,even though you and I weren't
there, was for you and me.
So we could have a relationshipwith the Son of God that beats
time.
If we lived in the time ofJesus, we would have been
(05:52):
limited in our conversation andthe amount of time we had with
him, around three years.
But God the Father has adifferent plan in mind.
He allowed his son, whom heloved very much, to suffer the
cross in order to open for us,we traditionally say the way to
(06:18):
heaven, but to open to us hisavailability.
He dies on the cross and hecan't stay dead.
He's God's son.
God will not allow him to staydead.
However, looking through thescriptures from the beginning,
(06:40):
we see that this event wasforetold.
This event was prepared for.
But why?
So he dies and rises from thedead great, one day and it's all
over.
That's not the case.
In this case, the Son of Godrises from the dead so that you
(07:06):
and I today, until he returns inglory, can speak to him
personally.
He is the body, and we are thechurch, his body on earth.
But God the Father made him soavailable to us through the
resurrection that he activatesus as members of the body.
(07:31):
He activates us and puts us onthe right track to heaven?
Yeah, I guess to heaven, but tofulfillment.
That anything we search after,if it's in line with God's will,
(07:51):
Jesus presents to the Father ourprayers.
Today we have no public prayersfor the intentions of this Mass,
because this Mass is offered forthe entire parish and indeed the
entire world.
Every name you can ever imagine,every person who's ever come
(08:14):
into your face, every piece ofhistory that is on your family
tree, people that you neverheard of, we can pray for today.
Because we're united with thembecause of the resurrection.
There's no barriers between usand Jesus, and there's no
(08:39):
barriers between us and thosewho have died before us.
As long as we speak to Jesus andpresent our prayers to him.
The prayers that we have todayin our hearts as we sit down
with our families or sit downalone to enjoy our Easter meal
is taken by Jesus to the Father.
(09:02):
And he hears us.
That Jesus actually hears us andhears the intentions of our
hearts.
Right now, whatever you'rethinking, whatever intention
(09:24):
you're praying for, whether it'shelp, whether it's recovery,
whether it's death, Jesus iswith you.
And I say you individually andas a community of faith, he's
with us.
How?
Because the barrier between lifeand death was destroyed.
(09:48):
This is the day it happened.
The resurrection of Jesus,Easter.
The barrier between fear andhope was destroyed.
Because he fulfilled our hope.
He made himself available.
(10:08):
I mean, this is not somethingyou can read about.
This is not something you'llhear on the news necessarily.
But today is the resurrection ofJesus.
Today, Jesus reminds us he iswith us.
Today, Jesus reminds us that hehears every intention, every
(10:35):
hope, every prayer.
Today is the day that Jesusreminds us he walks with us.
Every day.
Tomorrow the decorations will bemoved, or different holidays
will be set up and so on.
Maybe the fancy hats that are onFifth Avenue right now be put
(10:59):
away.
But the resurrected Jesus is notput away.
Even in 50 days, we might removeall the decorations and indeed
the statue of the resurrectionin our sanctuary, but Jesus will
not be put away.
This is the day that reminds ushe's always with us.
(11:24):
It should blow our minds.
It's an accomplishment, ofcourse, bigger than landing on
the moon.
It's an accomplishment, probablyon the level of creation itself.
And I'm always amazed at howscientists discover new galaxies
(11:49):
and new solar bodies, and thenmake a big fuss over it, very
good.
And they try to evaluate how oldcreation is, very good.
But Jesus is more important thanall of that, and more
(12:09):
significant than all of that.
And his resurrection is a punchto creation, a surprising way of
waking us up as we celebratethat day that he rose from the
dead, and we continuecelebrating it.
(12:31):
It doesn't stop.
When the lilies fade and thedecorations are put away, it
doesn't stop.
Because it's not a one-dayevent.
It's as important as creation.
It is the new creation that Godsaid to you and said to me, I
(12:55):
want access to you.
I want to hear you.
I want to read your hearts.
And I want you to read the heartof my son Jesus.
This is the day that'sguaranteed.
When you leave here as anindividual or as a family member
(13:18):
or with friends, you're notleaving alone.
Jesus is with us.
In our society, it's hard tobelieve that.
Well, death was hard to believe,but they buried him anyway.
But he showed what he's allabout.
(13:41):
Not about death, but about lifeand about hope.
He's reading our minds rightnow.
He reads our hearts right now.
This is the day the Father gaveus Jesus and guarantees that
Jesus is always with us,listening to us, and reaching
(14:05):
out to us and available to us.
It seems insipid to say happyEaster.
You want to recast thatbeautiful section of Mozart.
You want to bring out thetrumpets, you want to have
fireworks.
(14:26):
This is the day of theresurrection of Jesus Christ our
Lord.
Right now you should be standing because that was the
hallelujah.
It was the longest hallelujah.
It's a Mozart rendition and itwas beautifully proclaimed
before the gospel.
The Lord be with you.
A reading from the Holy Gospelaccording to John.
(01:58):
On that first day of the week,Mary of Magdala came to the tomb
early in the morning while itwas still dark and saw the stone
removed from the tomb.
So she ran and went to SimonPeter and to the other disciple
(02:21):
whom Jesus loved and told themthey have taken the Lord from
the tomb, and we don't knowwhere they put him.
So Peter and the other disciplewent out and came to the tomb.
They both ran, but the otherdisciple ran faster than Peter
(02:46):
and arrived at the tomb first.
He bent down and saw the burialcloths there, but did not go in.
When Simon Peter arrived afterhim, he went into the tomb and
saw the burial cloths, and thecloth that covered his head not
(03:13):
with the burial cloths, butrolled up in a separate place.
Then the other disciple alsowent in.
The one who had arrived firsthad the tomb.
He saw and believed.
(03:34):
For they did not yet understandthe scripture that he had to
rise from the dead.
The gospel of the Lord JesusChrist.
SPEAKER_01 (03:53):
That's heavy.
SPEAKER_00 (04:01):
Sometimes those who decorate for liturgical events
are more interested in artisticrendition than practicality.
That gospel book has to weightwenty pounds.
(04:21):
It's beautiful.
We only use it on severalspecial occasions, and I'm glad
Doug is strong enough to carryit in procession to the ambo
because I couldn't even lift it,as you saw all the way, to
respect it, to kiss it.
The resurrection of Jesus.
(04:45):
Some say it was the mostoutstanding event since we
landed on the moon.
But now that we're contemplatinggoing to the moon again and
riding around it, we have toreconsider that statement.
But we can consider thestatement from the perspective
(05:08):
of the resurrection of Jesus asbeing a spectacular event.
We can't imagine it.
We can see the pictures, we cansee the representations, but
Jesus Christ embracing death onthe cross and God the Father
(05:31):
resurrecting him.
You know, that resurrection,even though you and I weren't
there, was for you and me.
So we could have a relationshipwith the Son of God that beats
time.
If we lived in the time ofJesus, we would have been
(05:52):
limited in our conversation andthe amount of time we had with
him, around three years.
But God the Father has adifferent plan in mind.
He allowed his son, whom heloved very much, to suffer the
cross in order to open for us,we traditionally say the way to
(06:18):
heaven, but to open to us hisavailability.
He dies on the cross and hecan't stay dead.
He's God's son.
God will not allow him to staydead.
However, looking through thescriptures from the beginning,
(06:40):
we see that this event wasforetold.
This event was prepared for.
But why?
So he dies and rises from thedead great, one day and it's all
over.
That's not the case.
In this case, the Son of Godrises from the dead so that you
(07:06):
and I today, until he returns inglory, can speak to him
personally.
He is the body, and we are thechurch, his body on earth.
But God the Father made him soavailable to us through the
resurrection that he activatesus as members of the body.
(07:31):
He activates us and puts us onthe right track to heaven?
Yeah, I guess to heaven, but tofulfillment.
That anything we search after,if it's in line with God's will,
(07:51):
Jesus presents to the Father ourprayers.
Today we have no public prayersfor the intentions of this Mass,
because this Mass is offered forthe entire parish and indeed the
entire world.
Every name you can ever imagine,every person who's ever come
(08:14):
into your face, every piece ofhistory that is on your family
tree, people that you neverheard of, we can pray for today.
Because we're united with thembecause of the resurrection.
There's no barriers between usand Jesus, and there's no
(08:39):
barriers between us and thosewho have died before us.
As long as we speak to Jesus andpresent our prayers to him.
The prayers that we have todayin our hearts as we sit down
with our families or sit downalone to enjoy our Easter meal
is taken by Jesus to the Father.
(09:02):
And he hears us.
That Jesus actually hears us andhears the intentions of our
hearts.
Right now, whatever you'rethinking, whatever intention
(09:24):
you're praying for, whether it'shelp, whether it's recovery,
whether it's death, Jesus iswith you.
And I say you individually andas a community of faith, he's
with us.
How?
Because the barrier between lifeand death was destroyed.
(09:48):
This is the day it happened.
The resurrection of Jesus,Easter.
The barrier between fear andhope was destroyed.
Because he fulfilled our hope.
He made himself available.
(10:08):
I mean, this is not somethingyou can read about.
This is not something you'llhear on the news necessarily.
But today is the resurrection ofJesus.
Today, Jesus reminds us he iswith us.
Today, Jesus reminds us that hehears every intention, every
(10:35):
hope, every prayer.
Today is the day that Jesusreminds us he walks with us.
Every day.
Tomorrow the decorations will bemoved, or different holidays
will be set up and so on.
Maybe the fancy hats that are onFifth Avenue right now be put
(10:59):
away.
But the resurrected Jesus is notput away.
Even in 50 days, we might removeall the decorations and indeed
the statue of the resurrectionin our sanctuary, but Jesus will
not be put away.
This is the day that reminds ushe's always with us.
(11:24):
It should blow our minds.
It's an accomplishment, ofcourse, bigger than landing on
the moon.
It's an accomplishment, probablyon the level of creation itself.
And I'm always amazed at howscientists discover new galaxies
(11:49):
and new solar bodies, and thenmake a big fuss over it, very
good.
And they try to evaluate how oldcreation is, very good.
But Jesus is more important thanall of that, and more
(12:09):
significant than all of that.
And his resurrection is a punchto creation, a surprising way of
waking us up as we celebratethat day that he rose from the
dead, and we continuecelebrating it.
(12:31):
It doesn't stop.
When the lilies fade and thedecorations are put away, it
doesn't stop.
Because it's not a one-dayevent.
It's as important as creation.
It is the new creation that Godsaid to you and said to me, I
(12:55):
want access to you.
I want to hear you.
I want to read your hearts.
And I want you to read the heartof my son Jesus.
This is the day that'sguaranteed.
When you leave here as anindividual or as a family member
(13:18):
or with friends, you're notleaving alone.
Jesus is with us.
In our society, it's hard tobelieve that.
Well, death was hard to believe,but they buried him anyway.
But he showed what he's allabout.
(13:41):
Not about death, but about lifeand about hope.
He's reading our minds rightnow.
He reads our hearts right now.
This is the day the Father gaveus Jesus and guarantees that
Jesus is always with us,listening to us, and reaching
(14:05):
out to us and available to us.
It seems insipid to say happyEaster.
You want to recast thatbeautiful section of Mozart.
You want to bring out thetrumpets, you want to have
fireworks.
(14:26):
This is the day of theresurrection of Jesus Christ our
Lord.
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