"Story"

Easter Sunday

Matthew 28:1-10

We have always been enamored by stories. "Once upon a time" hooks us every time.   Stories elicit emotions They can be sad or happy, mysterious, fantastic, or horrific.  Whatever the story is, we are hooked from beginning to end.  No one starts a story at the middle; neither a story stops at the middle.  And finally, every story has a message to tell.

The story of the Resurrection has been narrated by countless witnesses - from St. Luke in the Acts of the Apostles and St. John about the mysterious disappearance of his body in the gospel, to countless men and women even after the first witnesses have died.

This story cannot be fictionalized; nor is it classified simply in the level of the religious to make people feel good.  A man died and rose again from the dead.  But whether we believe or not in the story, Jesus' resurrection left a permanent imprint mankind's history of a life that ends not in death but in resurrection.  And this same life is now offered to us. 

What lessons can we learn from this story?

First, only Jesus becomes the source of true life.  The world may offer anything to lure people, but only Jesus offers real life.  Cling to Jesus. 

Second, the resurrection builds people into a Church.  We become what happened to Jesus. 

Third, retell the story using our own lives.  Not just telling it verbally to the next generation; we need to live out the resurrection in our concrete life by doing acts of resurrection for ourselves and others.  This is essential especially in the time of pandemic where more people are drawn to hardships, suffering, and sickness.  In this way, the story now becomes us - "Christians".