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An Easter Homily
During
this Holy Week that we have just celebrated together, two words stood out for
me - NIGHT and TRUTH.
In
John’s gospel account of the Supper of the Lord, he presents that chilling picture
of Judas, sitting at table with Jesus, all the while conspiring to betray Jesus
to those seeking to kill Jesus. Finally, Judas gets up from the table, and
leaves. Here John adds these words; “…
and it was NIGHT.”
John
is not talking about the time of day only, but of something of much greater
magnitude. He is talking about darkness - the black of night - the absence of
light – all meant to describe the condition of a human soul – stripped of the LIGHT
of truth. Inside Judas’s heart it is NIGHT. He no longer believes in Jesus and
his teaching. He is selling out for thirty pieces of silver.
Now,
Jesus stands before the judgement seat of Pilate, the spokesman for the secular
world, to pass judgement on Jesus. The HOUR
has begun – the HOUR of judgement, judgement on Jesus and his purpose for
coming into the world – to bring the LIGHT of TRUTH to a world in darkness;
that is in ignorance of the truth. Pilate, the spokesman for the secular world,
and all the secular worlds to come, speaks. “Truth he says, what is truth?”
Now
it is our turn. We of this generation now stand in judgement about Jesus,
whether or not his word, his gospel is truth. How many have left this table,
this table of the Word, this table of the Eucharist, and no longer walk with
Jesus; no longer accept that his gospel is truth. What is truth, once again echoes
all around us. Increasingly, our society is dominated by a secular world view,
where people are the authors of truth.
In
the liturgy of Easter Sunday, reciting the creed is replaced with the renewal
of the baptismal profession of faith. Here and now, we will proclaim, in a
visible, audible and public way where we stand on the question of truth. It is
now our hour.
Our
world is now asking us, where do you stand on Jesus and the gospel? If we say I do believe, then everything we say
and do must be shaped by this truth we embrace. For if we fail to live up to
our profession of faith, will not the world rightly judge us as hypocrites.
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Dear brothers and sisters, through the Paschal Mystery
we
have been buried with Christ in Baptism,
so
that we may walk with him in newness of life.
And
so, now that our Lenten observance is concluded,
let
us renew the promises of Holy Baptism,
by
which we once renounced Satan and his works
and
promised to serve God in the holy Catholic Church.
And
so I ask you:
Priest:
Do you renounce Satan? All: I do.
Priest:
And all his works? All: I do.
Priest:
And all his empty show? All: I do.
Priest:
Do you believe in God, the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth? All:
I do.
Priest:
Do you believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was born of the
Virgin Mary, suffered death and was buried, rose again from the dead and is
seated at the right hand of the Father?
All:
I do.
Priest:
Do you believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Catholic Church, the communion
of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life
everlasting? All:
I do.
And
the Priest concludes:
And
may almighty God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who
has given us new birth by water and the Holy Spirit
and
bestowed on us forgiveness of our sins,
keep
us by his grace, in
Christ Jesus our Lord,
for
eternal life.
All:
Amen.
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