face of Resurrection

Mother_Teresa

Do You Have The Face Of The Resurrection? – Fr. Mark

Mother_Teresa

Third Sunday of Easter

Fr. Mark Gatto

Preached: April 15 2018

Do you have the face of the Resurrection? One day on holidays I went to Mass with a few friends. The priest at the Mass looked so miserable. Certainly no joy. One friend turned to me and said, “Wow, isn’t that the face of the Resurrection!”

The mystery of the Resurrection is seen most clearly in the radical change in the disciples. After the death of Jesus, they were full of fear, hiding from the world, grieving, sad, with no idea what they should do next. The experience of the encountering the Risen Lord Jesus changed them. No longer fearful, no longer hiding from the world. The disciples saw everything in a new way. They were people who now had the face of the Resurrection. People looking at them would have now seen people rejoicing, full of gladness.

We sang in our Responsorial Psalm today, “Let the light of your face shine on us O Lord.” This is the mystery of the Resurrection. The light of God shining on us. So, we see all things, all people, in a new way. Where there is only darkness, we begin to see light, we are able to see beauty, to see goodness, where before we saw only darkness.

Pope Francis has just published a new Apostolic Letter called Rejoice and Be Glad. It is a letter to us all on Holiness. He emphasizes the universal call to holiness. All of us are called to holiness. But, it is not found in some special place or special way. It is in the ordinary that holiness is found and lived. Holiness is not to hide from the world, escape to some place away from the world. We are to live our faith in the messy world. In a world that is full of ambiguity, with light and darkness. We need to allow God’s light to shine so that we can see the beauty, the goodness, even in the dark moments of life.

True holiness does not make us miserable, serious. True holiness leads us to be people who are rejoicing and full of gladness. A holy person usually has a good sense of humour. For they see beyond the darkness and messiness of life.

Each of you is called to be holy, to become saints. Fight against anything that leads you away from holiness. Start right where you live, in the ordinary messy life you have right now. Meet the Risen Jesus who brings light even to the dark places. Bring that light to others. Are other people more hopeful, more joyful because of you?

Leave the church today and go and live the call to holiness. Go and bring with you the face of the Resurrection.

 

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