Easter Sunday 2013 Homily

“Bending down”

 Christ has risen alleluia!

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ!

 Today is Easter Sunday. We commemorate Christ’s victory over death but also our redemption and new life in Christ. Last night Fr. Prior’s homily told us that Easter is the culmination of our Lenten observances. The end of our Lenten journey so to say. True we have ended our Lenten journey, but we can rightly call the “first leg” of our journey to the Father; for with Easter, we commence another “leg” of our journey now as the people of God saved in the faith in Jesus and as a people: sons and daughters of the light.

 Last Good Friday, while we were taking lunch at the refectory, one of the student brothers asked me why do we have to add the fifteenth station of the way of the cross, because usually we end the way of the cross with the entombment of Christ. I tried to explain to him and to convince him of this arrangement because I believe that it would be more theological to end the meditation of the passion and the death of Christ with our sights upon his glorious resurrection. His resurrection is the key to understand and comprehend all of Christ’s teachings and the mystery of his person. I do not know if I was able to convince him, though I could still foresee he would still have his querying eyes. With this dilemma, I began this reflection.

 Why must Christ die and rise again? This had been the question since the news of the death of Jesus spread among his followers. Why must he die? This was the question that haunted the disciples who had opted to leave to save themselves as Jesus underwent his arrest, trial, death and burial. Questions that brought them fear, and even horror since without Jesus their master in their midst they began to realize that they were just a mere collection of fishermen, illiterate, insignificant and forgotten portion of a society that had lost their interest on their teacher. Time and time again, Jesus reminded them of his impending fate: that he has to go to Jerusalem, face his enemies, fall in their hands, die and rise again… but the shimmer and the glitter of his popularity, the adulation of the populace made them deaf to the teachings of the master as they enjoyed basking in the shining sun of Jesus’ popularity among the people.

 In today’s Gospel, John relates to us what had happened three days after the tragic death of Jesus. It was a normal Sunday but suddenly Mary Magdalene came to convey a very strange news: the body of Jesus had been taken away… The disciples who had been hiding in the upper room were filled with consternation and horror with such news. Peter and the disciple whom Jesus loved ran out of the city to see for themselves the report made of Mary and the other women disciples: what happened here?

 John as a good story teller tells us what happened: the two disciples ran to the tomb where Jesus was laid. Perhaps the disciples whom Jesus loved—identified in tradition as John himself —ran as fast as he could to the tomb, while Peter, perhaps older and heavier, came too himself, but was a few paces behind the agile youth. They came to see for themselves the empty tomb as reported by these hysterical women. The gospel continues: the younger disciple “bent down and saw the burial cloths there, but did not go in”. Peter came and entered, saw the telltale signs of something strange … evidence that the story of Jesus does not end with his death, but it is just beginning….The younger disciple “saw and believed”; And further concludes that they did not understand the scripture that he to rise from the dead.

 A phrase that struck me in the passage “ he bent down…”, which was the same phrase used by Luke which we had proclaimed last night when he said: “Peter got up and ran to the tomb, bent down and saw the burial cloths…”

 “Bend down”…. “Bent down”…was this perhaps that one has to bend down to enter the narrow door of the tomb Joseph of Arimathea had donated for Jesus’ burial? What does it mean to bend down? Because if you will observe in both narratives… after bending down.. can they see the signs… the evidence of the resurrection…only after bending down can they see the empty tomb, the face cloth and burial cloth rolled beside… What does it mean to bend down for us in order to believe and understand?

 “Bending down” is the only attitude for us to comprehend what had happened that fateful morning, and to understand the mystery of Christ.

 “Bending down” is the attitude of faith, of recognizing our ignorance, our littleness, our vulnerability and our need for Christ.

 “Bending down” is to throw away our airs of academic success and social position, in order to enter the narrow door of the sepulcher in order to see… to see in order to believe…

 Man’s tragedy today is that believing in Christ and even a Supreme God is out of his list of priorities. Many believe that “believing” or “bending down” to a supreme being is an atrocious affront to man’s dignity and that is why the denial of God, the denial of religious experience and religion itself. For us Christians, specifically Catholics, many leave the Church since they are appalled with the scandals wrecking havoc in the Church, both real and imagined, many are scandalized with the wealth of the church, the political struggle among church men and even among laypeople for power, glory and popularity, some leave the Church because they cannot accept moral and theological teachings since it is not in their liking and demand that they have to change their lives, their values and their outlook which might be anti-Gospel. These are problems and challenges all believers and needs to be addressed and that is why the constant call to renewal, conversion and more authenticity in our lives as believers. But on the other hand, there are also many believers who leave the Church at the drop of the pin. Examining their excuses, without judging their sincerity, a good number of them leave the church due to very trivial reasons and added to this is the rising tide of religious indifference, moral relativism among younger generations. Today to be secular is cool, to be an atheist is now the toast of the town. All seem to be walls but there seem not to have any entrance to the sepulcher… and if there is an opening, it is too small and it demands us to “bend down” to see the proofs of his resurrection.

 Today, the risen Christ invites us to “bend down” once again… to believe in Him and to believe that his immense power of love has conquered death and sin. Only by bending ourselves to enter into the narrow gate of faith, the narrow gate of transparency, of nakedness can be understand why did Jesus had to die… and why Jesus had to rise from the death… and why we believe. We believe because Jesus action of love has touched us, He has touched you and me and has transformed us to be men and women not only redeemed but now empowered to love and like Him has the power to transform our weakness, our sinfulness, our selfishness, our egoism and pride because of HIS love. If we are capable of bending down to see.. then we shall also be willing and happy to bend down to wash the feet of our brothers, bend down to help those who had fallen and lost all hope, bend down to understand. Comprehend and be one to those who are beaten down on their knees and on their taunt stomachs by the weight of injustice, of poverty, of unhumanity. Bend down to see the downtrodden, the forgotten and the marginalized. Bend down to see the real face of human drama: Who we are and Who God is.

 “Bending down” allows us to see the signs… the evidences… blind faith without reason lead us to fundamentalism, pietism and emotionalism… these threaten authentic faith… bending down demands from us to see the signs.. to read the signs and to process these signs to strengthen our faith. That is why a faith that is not formed, not constantly updated and strengthened with study, celebration through liturgy and sharing in the community will only make “bending down” a mere physical action, perhaps after an aching back, it will not linger in our lives.

 John ends his narrative with this beautiful words: “he saw and believed”. Perhaps instead of reciting a litany of patristic texts to the brother who wanted to know why the XV station had to be included in the way of the cross, I should have asked him just to “bend down” , it would have been easier to convince him… because like the beloved disciple, I too had bend down, saw and believed…

 How about you?

Jarvis Sy Hao, O. P.

St. Dominic’s Priory, March 2013.