A great conductor rehearsed a choir for a performance of the Messiah. The chorus sang through to the part where the soprano sings, “I Know That My Redeemer Lives.”
Her singing was flawless: perfect phrasing, pitch, enunciation, and all of the singing qualities that I wish I had. When she finished, the choir waited eagerly for the applause that would surely follow.
Instead, the conductor glared at the soloist and growled, “My dear, you do not really believe that your Redeemer lives, do you?”
Shaken, the girl replied, “Why yes, I think so!”
“Then sing it,” begged the conductor. “Sing it in such a way that everyone feels the power and joy of your belief.”
The conductor wanted the soprano’s singing to reflect her faith that ”Jesus lives” because he has risen.
Hopes, dreams of Jesus’ followers
The resurrection of Jesus was the central theme of apostolic preaching. In 1 Corinthians 15:13-14, St. Paul proclaims, “If there is no resurrection of the dead, then neither has Christ been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then empty (too) is our preaching; empty, too, your faith. “
When the sun sank into the earth on Good Friday, the hopes and dreams of most of Jesus’ followers were buried with him. They hoped that he was the messiah who would establish a mighty earthly kingdom. Instead he allowed himself to be crucified like a criminal. His apostles lost hope and hid.
When the apostles heard the good news that Jesus rose from the dead on Easter morning, their hopes and dreams rose with him. In the Catechism of the Catholic Church, it says, “The empty tomb and the linen cloths lying there signify in themselves that by God’s power, Christ’s body had escaped the bonds of death and corruption. They prepared the disciples to encounter the Risen Lord.”
When they encountered the Risen Lord and received the Holy Spirit, the apostles and other followers who deserted Christ were transformed into courageous witnesses of Christ. They helped to spread the gospel “to the ends of the earth.” Eleven of the 12 apostles died for Christ.
Participation in the resurrection
The good news of Easter is that because Christ has risen, resurrection can happen in our lives now and for eternity. In the Catechism of the Catholic Church, it says, “Christ will raise us up ‘on the last day’; but it is also true that, in a certain way, we have already risen with Christ. For, by virtue of the Holy Spirit, Christian life is already now on earth a participation in the death and resurrection of Christ.”
Our incorporation into the death and resurrection of Christ is brought about through Baptism, the Easter sacrament. During the Easter vigil, catechumens are baptized and all of us are called to renew our baptismal promises.
We reveal that our Redeemer lives in us by doing what is right and by being instruments of God’s love in our families, work, church, and recreation.
Easter offers us the hope we need to wipe away our tears, pick up the pieces, and start again after tragedy. As baptized Catholics, we believe in the sun of hope even when it is not shining because we know it will shine again.
Encountering Christ in the Eucharist
The Eucharist is another Easter sacrament. In John 6:54, Jesus promised, “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day.”
In On the Merits and Forgiveness of Sins and on Infant Baptism, St. Augustine taught that by truly encountering Christ in the Eucharist, we sacramentally become transformed into his image.
The Holy Spirit helps us to joyously sing the song of Easter with faith by our words and deeds because, like the soprano and conductor, we know that our Redeemer lives.
Enjoy and share a blessed Easter! Alleluia!
Fr. Don Lange is a pastor emeritus of the Diocese of Madison.