These words, first uttered two thousand years ago, have echoed through the centuries to our own time and will continue until the Risen Lord comes again. The Resurrection has affected humankind historically, socially, and spiritually.
Historically, within the context of human existence in time, it opens the prospect of another dimension of existence—one never before imagined. It points to a reality that transcends our experience of finiteness. Morally, it challenges us, for we can no longer live for this world alone. Whether one believes or not, each person is confronted with the possibility of an unlimited existence. It demands our attention.
ocially, those who believe now belong to a kingdom not of this world. The believer is drawn into a new form of existence—a communion with others in a deeper dimension of life. This is not a utopian dream, for utopias, however idealistic, remain bound to earthly hopes and realizations.
Spiritually, the Resurrection directs us to a reality beyond this world, accompanied by the promise of the Risen Lord—the reality of the spiritual world. In Jesus, God has decisively entered our world of time and space. No other god has done this.
We are not gathered here today merely to remember or commemorate a teacher of the past; we are here to celebrate a living Lord. This is not the God of philosophers or theologians, understood only through definitions, proclamations, or dogmas. This is the true and living God, a God with a heart, longing for all His children. This is a God that needs to be encountered.
Our relationship with Him has become, in a sense, genealogical. He is our Father, and we are brothers and sisters in the Holy Spirit. The inner proof—if proof is needed—is the experience of those who saw Christ risen and His abiding presence in their hearts. As St. Augustine expressed: “How can they say my God is dead when I feel Him in my heart?”
Fear was transformed into courage, doubt into proclamation, and hiding into mission. The disciples went out into the world proclaiming that Christ is risen indeed. Across the centuries, countless people—the timid, the fearful, the despairing, the doubting, those afraid of death—have been transformed by the experience of the living God. Human weakness gives way before His presence.
That is how we are reborn today. We are children of the Risen Lord through the faith of those who came before us. We were born at a great cost: the blood of the God-Man was shed for us. For God to shed His blood reveals not only His love but also our dignity—that we are His children, created out of love and therefore worthy of such sacrifice.
The Resurrection has bestowed upon us an unheard-of dignity. Our humanity has been shaped in Christ; our very nature is oriented toward Him. What happened to Christ will happen to us. Even now, within our earthly lives, the seed of eternity is planted in us, waiting to blossom.
Easter removes our fear of death. Its power gives us the courage and freedom to die, for only those who die can rise to new life. For a Christian, death is not merely the natural end of the body. It becomes a free offering—the final human act, a gift returned to God, who first gave Himself for us.
Because of the Risen Lord, the Christian attains true freedom. He or she is free to live without fear, no longer threatened by death. This freedom allows us to live the truth, to live joyfully regardless of circumstances. Rich or poor, the Christian can live life in its fullness.
No longer imprisoned by time, space, social conventions, or pressures to conform to worldly values imposed by those in power, the Christian stands free. And if someone says this is only an ideal, not real but a human projection, the Christian can simply reply: Speak for yourself. My encounter with the Risen Lord cannot be overruled by your arguments or logic. The Lord has risen INDEED! Alleluia. He is in our hearts!
Fr. Carlos