The Risen Lord shines upon our world torn by a savage war in Ukraine and upon a nation seeking healing and reconciliation with its Indigenous Peoples. With the Resurrection, God’s love has flooded with light Jesus’ dead body, transfigured it, and made it pass from this life into eternal life. Jesus didn’t return to His former, earthly life, as Lazarus had (cf. Jn 11:1-44). He entered God’s glorious life with His humanity, now transformed.
Because Jesus rose from the dead, creation has regained its original meaning in God’s plan of salvation. In the mystery of Christ’s Death and Resurrection all creation is redeemed. According to God’s design, everything becomes perfectly good once more. At the end of the Book of Revelation, the Risen One says: “Behold, I am making all things new” (Rev 21:5).
That Jesus is alive assures us that He is not a person of the past merely to be admired for His wise teaching and good deeds. On the contrary, He lives and walks before us as One who is alive. He is calling us to follow Him, the Living One. By encountering Jesus in an intimate, personal relationship, He invites us to discover for ourselves the path of life.
This Easter, I urge you to let the Risen Jesus enter your life. Welcome Him as a friend, and with trust. If, for whatever reason, you have been keeping Him at arm’s length, today take a step forward. He will receive you with open arms. If you have been indifferent to His Gospel, take a risk. You won’t be disappointed. And if following Him seems at times almost too difficult, remember that He is close to you and is accompanying you on your journey through life. He will give you the peace you are looking for and the strength to live as His disciple.
+ J. Michael Miller, CSB
ARCHBISHOP OF VANCOUVER
