Editor’s Note: I asked Father Timothy Smith to write an Easter message for Easter. Usually we have a schedule of Easter services, but not this year due to the coronavirus outbreak. Father Smith is the pastor of Holy Cross Catholic Church in Ipswich, Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Leola and Saint Thomas the Apostle in Roscoe.
by Father Timothy Smith
“Something strange is happening—there is a great silence on earth today, a great silence and stillness.” These words from an ancient sermon in the early centuries of Christian faith describe our experience of Easter in the year 2020. Churches are empty, schools are quiet, and the events of our day are reduced to a still low hush. The preacher of these ancient words was not describing the silencing of the world’s events however, but rather the hours before the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the Dead. This was the exact time in human history when the whole earth kept silent because Christ our King was at rest. In this silence, Jesus came to those who lived in darkness and the shadow of death, bearing the Cross – the tool used to set them free – and proclaimed “Awake, O sleeper, and rise from the dead.”
The Resurrection is the foundation of Christian hope for eternal life and the source of all Easter joy. The Resurrection is the center of human history. It is true that we live in a fallen world – but it is a world undergoing redemption at every moment. The effects of the fall are easily apparent to us, especially during the recent health crisis and global uncertainty, which besieges us all. The fact of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ is our certainty in an uncertain world. Christian believers are redeemed, are being redeemed, and will be redeemed by the saving power of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. These days of Holy Week serve to remind us that the glory of the Christian life is Jesus Christ crucified, died, and risen.
The struggle to follow God’s plan of holiness and surrender to His will is the beauty of the Christian Life. Without the cross – there can be no Easter – without the struggle – there can be no glory. Our faith in Christ redemption breathes meaning into our very existence. Every trial and hardship is filled with purpose when united to the glory of Christ redeeming sacrifice on Calvary. As we recall the day when our Savior broke through the gates of death we can be certain of the sure and lasting hope for eternal life. Death is not the victor. This Easter, although we cope with the gnawing uncertainty of daily life, we can experience a greater certitude of faith in the power of the Resurrection.
Jesus came to set captives free and to awaken us to a life of light and love. Although the darkness of the world may interrupt our best-laid plans, the light of Christ shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
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