YEAR B: HOMILY FOR EASTER SUNDAY
HOMILY Theme: WE HAVE NEW LIFE BECAUSE HE HAD PAID THE PRICE WITH HIS LIFE FOR OURS.
By: Fr Augustine Ikechukwu Opara
Homily for Sunday.
Today is the greatest of all Sundays in the Christian calendar because of the newness of life that it brings. Today a new epoch has completely began. This is because the historical Jesus, who suffered, was crucified, died and was buried has now been glorified. The battle is over. We celebrate the triumph of good over evil, of light over darkness, and of peace over chaos. We celebrate hope, patience and the fulfillment of God’s Promise to his people. We also celebrate the uniqueness of our religion, the resurrection of our Lord. Through his resurrection, Jesus affirms that he is the Lord of the living and the dead.
During the forty days of Lent from Ash Wednesday to Holy Saturday, we had observed fasting, we prayed and carried out works of charity. We recalled the history of salvation from the Old Testament, and the prophecies of the coming Messiah, his suffering and glorification in the readings, and reflected on the call of our Lord Jesus to repentance, and commemorated our Lord’s entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, his last supper with his disciples on Holy Thursday, his trial, crucifixion, death and burial on Good Friday. Today we gather to commemorate that holy day when the Lord rose from the dead. Once again Jesus defied the expectations of his disciples and the people of Jerusalem to show that God can conquer even death.
ALSO RECOMMENDED: YEAR B: HOMILY FOR EASTER SUNDAY
Jesus said Martha, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me, even though that person dies, he will live, and whoever lives and believes in me will never die”, John (11:25-26). All we need to do is to believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ and confess that Jesus is Lord so that we may not perish, but have eternal life.
God has promised to reward us for our belief in Him. He will never disappoint those who are Repentant, Faithful, Obedient, Compassionate, Humble and Hopeful. Indeed, our God is a God of surprises. He will continue to intervene suddenly and mysteriously, totally and unexpectedly even in the midst of our anxieties, fears, confusion, despair and suffering. Sometimes, when we least expect it, He will surprise us. He will fill our lives with peace and newness of life.
The short story is that Christ has risen in fulfillment of his promise: “I will rise on the third day.” So today is not a day of long speeches but only raise a fundamental question for every Catholic and in fact every Christian: Did I resurrect with Christ this Easter? Don’t forget that to rise with him you have to die with him as Paul said….(2 Tim 2:11-12)
Finally, I want to ask my brothers and sisters, Do you remember you are a Catholic or Christian only on Easter Sunday or only on Sundays or may be only on Christmas day? That question you have to answer yourself before God.
FOR A SIMILAR HOMILY, CLICK HERE>>>>>>>