My Dear Brothers and Sisters, PAX!
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! The Lord is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
St. Luke tells us that:
On the first day of the week, at early dawn, the women went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel. And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen (Luke 24:1–6a).
For centuries, Christian pilgrims have visited the Holy Land. I was privileged to be a pilgrim with other ACNA bishops many years ago. A common question we are asked when visiting the Holy Sepulcher is, what have you come here to see? The response: “an empty tomb.” We can still witness today what these women witnessed almost two millennia ago. We will not find the body of the Lord Jesus. He gloriously rose from the dead. More than five hundred brothers all at once saw Him after He rose from the dead.
This event transformed our lives; it changed the world forever.
The resurrection is the raison d’etre (reason for being) of the Church. As St. Paul told the Corinthians, “If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins” (1 Cor 15:17). He goes on to say, “But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive” (15:20-22).
Because He lives, we know that Jesus is truly who He claimed to be: the Son of God, the Messiah.
Because He lives, sin no longer has dominion over us. Because He lives, we are empowered to live a new life. Because He lives, we have victory over death.
Because He lives, we too shall live. Because He lives, we will have eternal life.
In 1985, I wrote to my monastic community that:
The purpose of our community is to seek- above all, the greater glory of God, the sanctification of its members and of all persons with whom we come into contact according to our own lifestyle: cenobitic and active; living the Paschal joy of the Risen Lord, cultivating a spirit of communion, reconciliation and contemplation, springing from our life of prayer and work.
The foundation of our Paschal joy is the glorification of the Son by the Father, constituted as Judge and Lord of the living and the dead. It follows therefore that our communities must be centers of joy, welcome, and hope, with the certainty that we have passed from death to life.
These words are true not only for the monastic community. They are true for every Christian. I have echoed them throughout my nearly sixteen years with you as bishop of the Diocese of Quincy. I repeat them to you today: we too must seek the greater glory of God, our own sanctification and that of those around us. We must live the Paschal joy of the Risen Lord. Our churches must be centers of joy, welcome, and hope, with the certainty that we have passed from death to life.
Let us share with all those we come into contact with that Jesus lives, that He rose from the dead just as He said He would, that He came to save us from sin and death, and that if we believe in Him and live according to His teachings, we too shall rise and live with Him for all eternity. “An empty tomb is there to prove my Savior lives!” (from the Gaither song, Because He Lives).
May everyone have a very blessed and happy Easter! In Christ Jesus,
Bishop J. Alberto Morales, OSB, DD
Quincy 9