Christ Is Alive! - Easter Homily from Bacolod, FIS
By Bishop Patrick Buzon, SDB
Bacolod diocese
FIS
The gospel comments that the beloved disciple “saw and believed.” Although he did not see Jesus then – as later Mary Magdalene, Peter and the rest of the apostles would – he saw enough to remember the prophetic words of Jesus about his resurrection. The absence of Jesus in the tomb is the primordial proof of his living presence among us.
Once, a skeptical reporter taunted G.K. Chesterton, a firm believer of the resurrection, with a sarcastic question, “What would you do if the resurrected Christ were standing right behind you?” The reporter was taken aback, when Chesterton replied, “But, he is.”
“Christ is alive! …He is in you, he is with you, and he never abandons you. However far you may wander, he is always there, the Risen One… Christ is alive and he wants you to be alive!” (Christus Vivit 1,2) These powerful words of Pope Francis addressed to the youth and to all of us perfectly captures the meaning of Easter.
Christ lives, and he wants us to live – no less than his own life of grace and holiness.
The highlight in today’s official launching of the 500 Years Anniversary of Christianity in the Philippines is the Opening of the Jubilee Door in the Cathedrals and designated Jubilee Churches of our dioceses. The meaning of this rite is simple but profound. It is an invitation to enter into “the mystery of God who is rich in mercy and who unceasingly calls us to salvation.” We enter through “Christ the sole door to salvation and the one way that leads to the Father.”