This is the day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it. The Lenten season is over and we celebrate the new life now that comes with the resurrection of Jesus.

Darrell was a newly ordained priest. He celebrated with his pastor the easter vigil mass. It’s a long mass, as we all know. And he got to bed late that night and he woke up on easter morning and it was absolutely a gorgeous day.

Darrell looked out the window and said, “Oh, my God! This is the day the Lord has made.” And he was rejoicing.

And then a certain temptation came over ‘ol Darrell. He said, “This is such a beautiful day!” he had the morning mass. He thought. Said, “I really want to go out golfing.”

[laughter]

So, Darrell took the temptation. He called the old pastor. He said, “You know, I’m not feeling very good today.” He said, “Do you think you could take the morning mass?”

The pastor said, “Darrell, go back to bed. It’s fine. I hope you feel better.”

With that, Darrell put on his golf outfit. Slipped out the back door, into the garage, and drove 40 miles out into the country to find a golf course.

A beautiful easter morning. Darrell gets out of the car and he goes to the first tee. No one else is there. And he tees up his ball and looks down the fairway, takes a swing at the ball, and sure enough… Straight down the fairway. It was 274 yard drive and it was right on point.

And that point, Jesus turns to his Father and says, “Oh no, you’re not gonna let this happen. Are you?”

And the Father said patiently, “Just watch.”

The ball, sure enough, skips onto the green and rolls right into the cup. A hole in one. Darrell is elated! And Jesus looked at his Father and said, “Well, he made a hole in one.”

And the father looked at Jesus and said, “Who’s he gonna tell?”

[laughter]

This is the day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it.

The whole point of the easter story is going out and telling the good news. Proclaiming the good news with our lives, as the children of God. That’s what we’re called to do as disciples. To proclaim the good news. He has risen. Alleluia.

When Jesus rises from the dead on that Easter morning; He tells us, He give us, He loves us, and encourages us to tell the good news – His faithful followers. And of course, Jesus does that by giving us so many graces and gifts.

Not just easter day, but as faithful disciples every day of the year. He companions us through life. He give us, I think, three particular gifts on easter.

He gives us the gift of his easter peace. The risen Lord gives us His peace in a way that no other peace can be experienced. The peace of Christ in our lives is a peace that comes from the inside. It’s a peace that the world cannot give, as we’re told in the scriptures. It’s a peace that we know, that we are claimed and loved by God. It’s a peace that we know that when we live a life of integrity – by what we say and by what we do aligns with the gospel message. We’re at home with ourselves. And we truly know God’s peace. The gift of Easter peace.

There’s a wonderful second gift that we’re given on Easter day. We’re given that gift all the time, but it’s the gift of Easter presence. The presence of the Lord Jesus. The presence that is found in the empty tomb, but not so much later when He appears to his disciples in the upper room. The very presence of the risen Lord. The very presence of the risen Lord that we celebrate in that we share in this Eucharist today. He gives us His presence through the word that was proclaimed. He gives us His presence in the Eucharist that we share. He gives us His presence in the community that gathers. His presence is with us always. But on Easter we celebrate that in a special way or are reminded of that presence in our lives. Jesus’ Easter peace is Easter presence.

And He gives us another great gift on easter. It’s power. Jesus’ power. He shares the power of the resurrection with you and with me. What a wonderful gift that is. It really is the power to be agents of transformation in the world. By being disciples of the Lord, by following in His way as He calls us each and every day we have the power to make a difference in the world in which we live. We have the power to make a difference in our relationships at the workplace, with our family members, and the community at large. The power to say, “I’m sorry.” To give and to receive forgiveness. The power to offer a simple gesture of kindness to another. The power to reach out and to help sister and brother in need. The power to set good example for others. What a wonderful gift that we receive on this Easter day.

Three wonderful gifts. The gift of His peace. The peace that comes from within. The gift of His presence, knowing that He is with us in every moment in life. That the risen Lord is not bound by time or by space any longer. And the gift of His easter power. A power that we share in that can change the lives of others through our acts of kindness.

This is the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it. And let us proclaim the resurrected Lord by the way in which we live our lives.