An Easter Message from Bishop Duca

​​​​​"But Mary stayed outside the tomb weeping. And as she wept, she bent over into the tomb and saw two angels in white sitting there … And they said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken my Lord, and I don’t know where they laid him. “When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus there, but did not know it was Jesus.  Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?”  She thought it was the gardener and said to him, “Sir, if you carried him away, tell me where you laid him, and I will take him.” Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to him in Hebrew, “Rabbouni,” which means teacher  (Jn 20: 11-16). 

Christ is Risen!  He is Risen, indeed! 

People often joke that spring in the South “seems to have happened yesterday” and “we’ve missed it.” We look forward to the moment when the darkness of winter fades and new life begins to emerge around us.  On those few humidity-free, 70-degree, pollen-free days, we feel our spirit lighten.  Unfortunately, this “weather high” is a passing joy that cannot provide a lasting hope. But today, we remember that there is a hope that can sustain us and not be undone. Today we proclaim that our Christ has Risen from the dead.  The story of Mary of Magdala’s encounter with the risen Jesus opens up the power and the healing of this wondrous feast that we so desperately need. 

Mary of Magdala comes to the tomb filled with sorrow and grief.  She looks into an empty tomb and feels an even greater loss of hope.  We arrive this Easter at the empty tomb, like Mary, with hearts burdened by anxiety, financial stress, and the grief of losing friends and family who have died.  We arrive unsettled as we see violent clashes and war spring up around the world.  Sometimes the problems of the world seem so big that, like Mary, we are not expecting a miracle as we look at the empty tomb. 

Yet in this lowest of moments, Jesus appears to Mary. It is noted that Mary did not recognize Jesus at first. Though he appeared the same, he somehow appeared as more.  Disappointed, she seems to have turned away from the “gardener” and back to her worry and despair.  But when he called her name, she knew him.  Jesus said that the sheep know the voice of the shepherd and Mary recognized the loving way Jesus called her name.  The Scripture says that when she heard her name, “she turned” toward Jesus.  By turning to him, she turned away from her grief and despair and faced the warm and restorative light of Christ’s resurrection.  She was awakened from the fog and sadness of grief to see clearly once again. Mary was empowered with a hope so deep that all seemed possible again. 

The resurrection of Jesus is not an event to be marveled at from afar, or simply an historical act to be believed as a tenet of faith.  No, the power of Jesus’ resurrection is that it is an invitation to live in the unbelievable hope that he has overcome sin and death.  He calls our name and if we answer with faith, we find the inspiration and hope to turn away from the old, where all seems lost, and embrace the call to a new future where all good things seem possible.   

We need the power of Christ’s resurrection to lift us out of our sadness and grief.  This hope is not a panacea that will protect us from the challenges to heal, restore and inspire our broken world.  This is a hope that will sustain our mission in difficult times because our hope is in Jesus Christ, crucified and risen from the dead, who is greater than any difficulties we may face.   

St. Mother Teresa of Kolkata sums this up in a simple prayer:    

“Let nothing so fill you with sorrow that you forget the joy of Christ risen from the dead.”   

This Easter, may you hear the risen Jesus call your name. When you recognize his voice, turn to him and believe.  Everything will change! 

Christ is Risen!  He is Risen, Indeed! 

Hope in the Lord,
Bishop Michael G. Duca