ARCHDIOCESE OF PHILADELPHIA

Dear Friends in our Lord Jesus Christ,

The Church has been waiting all during Lent for this Easter celebration. She has followed Jesus, especially in the last three days, through all the events of His passion, death and burial. And now the moment has come to proclaim: Jesus Christ is risen from the dead! Alleluia! Alleluia!

This is the holy night of the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the greatest proclamation of all time is that He who died on Calvary is now alive. The tomb is empty. There are witnesses to testify.

This is the proclamation that the three women—Mary Magdalen, Mary the Mother of James, and Salome—heard when they went to the tomb. The angel greeted them with these words: “Do not be amazed! You seek Jesus of Nazareth, the crucified. He has been raised; he is not here. Behold the place where they laid him.”

Yes, Jesus Christ is truly risen. He is alive. After the events of Easter, He showed Himself to His disciples and to many other witnesses, who testified to the truth of the Resurrection. Throughout the ages the Church has repeatedly announced this testimony: Jesus Christ is risen from the dead! Alleluia! alleluia!

This Easter proclamation is made throughout the whole world. It is the good news that dominates the earth, bringing joy and hope. It is a message of victory and peace.

Indeed, the Church proclaims the Resurrection, but she does more than that. She enables us to share in the Resurrection.

And how does this come about? It is through the sacrament of Baptism. Saint Paul explains to us tonight that by Baptism we are immersed into Christ’s death, so as to share in His Resurrection. “We were indeed buried with him”—he says—“through baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might live in newness of life.”

The Resurrection of Jesus and His new life after death are not merely worthy of our admiration. They are the basis for our life as baptized Christians. Christ is alive and calls us to model our life on His new human life of holiness and service. Saint Paul says to us: “You must think of yourselves as being dead to sin but living for God in Christ Jesus.”

This is the great challenge of Baptism: to live for God in Christ Jesus; to be alive through faith, hope and charity, to serve one another in the faith of the Risen Christ.

Tonight the joy of the Church is great throughout the world. In every corner of the earth Jesus is welcoming new members of His body, the Church. In our own Archdiocese numerous people are being baptized and confirmed, including our catechumen here in the Cathedral. We cordially welcome Tracey Ann Thomas and thank all those who have so generously and zealously assisted her and those coming into full communion with the Catholic Church, as well as the others receiving Confirmation.

From Baptism, which means being united with the Risen Christ, comes the call to live and to worship in a way worthy of Christian dignity. This call is ratified in Confirmation, with its own outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

On Easter the Church solemnly celebrates the Resurrection of Jesus; but for over 2000 years, on every single Sunday, the community of the Church gathers to praise and thank God the Father for raising Christ from the dead and for giving to all of us the privilege of sharing in His Resurrection.

Dear friends in Christ: Easter is so much a part of the meaning of our lives, and the Easter celebration, not only today but every Sunday, is so important for us as Christians. From the Eucharist that we celebrate on Easter and every Sunday—which makes present sacramentally both the Death and Resurrection of Jesus—we receive the strength and power to live and die as worthy members of the living Christ.

What a privilege it is for us to be called by the Risen Christ to worship and serve in His name. What a privilege it is to be baptized into the Death and Resurrection of Jesus, and to be part of the community of the Church that proclaims throughout all ages that Jesus Christ is risen from the dead and victoriously lives in the midst of His people. What a privilege it is to be part of the Easter celebration every Sunday in the Cathedral or in our parish.

The Gospel of the Resurrection ends when the angel says to the women: “He is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him, as he told you.”

Today the Risen Jesus is going before us, calling us, leading us, challenging us to live and worship in a way that manifests our belief that He is truly risen and forever alive.

Saint Augustine tries to summarize the great beauty of our feast by telling us: “We are an Easter people and Alleluia is our song!” All of this is so because Jesus Christ is risen from the dead! Amen.