Well, it’s a delight to be with you on this Easter day 

And to greet all of those who are participating in this mass 

Through television, and I want to offer 

My choicest blessings for happy Easter to all. 

It is an important day in the life of the church, 

In fact, the great feast, many times called the Great Sunday. 

Simply because without the resurrection of the lord, 

There would be no Christianity. 

It is the center of our faith. 

And yet, I think it’s worth asking and pondering, 

How is it that we can sustain a faith 

In an event that happened 2,000 years ago, 

Or at least ask what difference it makes in our life? 

That I think is worth pondering, 

And something that we might get some help in answering 

As we look at this gospel text. 

For it is a text that tells us 

Before people began to have faith and really understand 

What the resurrection is about, 

Something else had to take place. 

And there are three figures that were given, 

Mary of Magdalene, 

Peter, and john, the disciple that Jesus loved. 

And so first of all, we see that Mary Magdalene comes to the tomb 

Not believing that Jesus is going to rise from the dead. 

She’s still in mourning. 

She comes early in the morning when it’s still dark. 

She’s an individual who can’t sleep 

Because of the tragedy that happened on Golgotha. 

But she wants to come to the tomb 

To anoint the body of Jesus. 

That’s her intention. 

But she does so because she’s prompted by love, not by faith. 

And I think that’s important for us to keep in mind. 

Our relationship with Jesus is not, first of all, 

Built on what we believe, 

But how we have experienced the love of Jesus in our lives, 

First of all, and how we love him in return as a response. 

That love is experienced in so many different ways. 

Maybe in a moment in which we have turned to the lord 

In a great tragedy and found solace, 

In a moment in which we have tried 

To figure out the meaning of life 

And there’s a special grace that comes into our life 

That makes sense of things, 

Or even as we study the scriptures, 

As we pray before the blessed sacrament 

And have an experience of the lord who really cares for us 

And really loves us and we love him in return. 

I think that’s important for us to bring to this celebration 

Of Easter this morning, not necessarily that we can say 

That we believe right away, but first of all, that we love. 

We love Jesus and we know that he loves us. 

To unpack that in our lives, 

How is it that we love the lord 

And how is that drawing us to him, 

No matter what happens in life? 

The second thing that we see 

Is that her first impulse afterwards 

Is not to try to figure things out by herself, 

But she runs off to peter and john 

And says that the lord’s body has been taken and she’s upset. 

She finds consolation in coming together with the other disciples 

And it’s a reminder that the community of the church 

Is also something that helps us 

Come to an understanding of our faith. 

Think of it, every Sunday when we come to mass, 

We stand shoulder to shoulder with each other 

And hear each other say, “I believe.” 

That utterance of belief strengthens us 

Because we know that we’re not alone in what we believe. 

And just a few moments after the homily, 

We’re going to renew our baptismal promises 

And you’re going to hear each other tell each other what you believe 

And that you also reject sin 

And the mastery of evil over you. 

That’s so very powerful. 

We come together as fellow pilgrims, 

That pilgrims of hope as the holy father 

Has called us in this jubilee year to be. 

We need a community. 

We need to come to Sunday mass 

To celebrate the various feasts and solemnities 

In order to enrich our faith knowing that we’re not alone 

In this pilgrimage of life that we share. 

I often tell grandparents, 

Especially when they find that maybe their children 

And as a result their grandchildren 

Are not practicing the faith. 

That it’s an opportunity to sit down with both 

And just explain how their faith 

Has got them through different moments. 

How their faith in Jesus and the relationship with the lord 

Has made a difference in their life. 

That kind of testimony, that kind of witness 

As a community of faith is so very powerful 

And strengthens the faith of each one of us. 

And finally we see that scene in which john 

Goes into the tomb after peter 

And he notices those cloths of Jesus that are separated 

And rolled up very neatly in their own piles. 

I think that is very rich as a symbol. 

I’ve often thought maybe what john recognized in that moment was, 

That is how Jesus in fact took care of his bedding every day. 

That he recognized something that he did. 

I like to tell grade school children that in fact 

It’s a sign that Jesus made his bed every morning. 

And maybe they could take an example out of that. 

But I think that it highlights the fact that there are ways 

In which the lord’s own life, which we hear in the scriptures, 

Have made a difference, have in fact impacted our lives as well. 

Where we see things in the scriptures 

That we witness in the world today 

That are being imitated. 

We know how easy it is for us 

To pick up behaviors of one another. 

Years ago when I was a pastor of a parish 

I was getting ready for mass 

And I was walking across the sanctuary 

And there was a man in the back 

Of the empty church and he came up to me and said to me, 

“Do you know John Mayham?” 

And I said, “well yes I did. Why do you ask?” 

He said, “because when I saw you walk across the room there, 

You walked just like john Mayham did. 

You had the same posture, the same gate in your walk.” 

And I said, “well that’s interesting 

Because John Mayham was my grandfather.” 

And apparently I had picked up some of his behaviors 

And even walked in the way he did. 

So maybe there are things in our life 

That we recognize where Jesus is present 

Because he has had an impact on our culture, 

On the way that we look at life as a church. 

And so maybe it’s an opportunity for us 

To see the moments in which we open the eyes of the blind 

And help people for instance 

Who do not see a pathway for life 

And give them hope. 

Ways in which maybe we help people take another step 

And just as Jesus cured those who were lame. 

In which Jesus told us he’s a light of the world 

And we have given maybe opportunity 

To ourselves and others 

By lighting a candle and having that candle glow 

Reminding us that Jesus is a light of the world. 

So I think helping us foster our faith 

Is to look for signs in which we in fact recognize 

In our own behaviors and the behaviors of others 

The presence of the lord at work now 

Because his spirit is alive in our lives. 

My mother had a very difficult time when my dad died 

And she even asked after many years 

Of going to catholic schools and catechesis and believing 

She wondered whether or not 

There really was a resurrection of the dead. 

It was so painful the loss and the separation 

After 57 years of marriage 

And she doubted. She had a moment of doubt. 

And so what she did is she remembered 

That Jesus said, “I’m the light of the world.” 

So she had the man in the cemetery put a glowing candle, 

One of those nice big vigil lights over my dad’s tomb 

On their anniversary, his birthday, 

When he came back from the war. 

Different moments in their life that were significant. 

But she could look out her window 

Because they lived next door to the cemetery 

And she could see that light burning. 

She could see that glow of the candle. 

That reminded her that Jesus said, 

“I’m the light of the world.” 

That just every time as she lit a candle 

In church and she had her faith strengthened, 

So she could do that in those moments. 

So believing that Jesus rose from the dead 

Is a challenge for us after 2,000 years. 

But this gospel today gives us an entry point 

In which in fact we can strengthen our belief. 

First of all, by realizing that we come to Jesus 

Not with believing out of a mental cognition 

About what Jesus did, but our love first of all. 

Love that drew Mary Magdalene to the tomb. 

But also that we keep in mind that the church 

Standing shoulder to shoulder with each other 

As we will in a moment and hear each other’s profession of faith 

Is also something that strengthens our faith. 

And finally, when we look for signs in the world 

Today of how Jesus is active and alive in the world 

Through our actions and the actions of others, 

Like here at Mercy Home 

Where so much good is done, where the gospel has impacted 

This ministry in some significant ways 

To reach out to young people who are struggling 

To give them the hope and light of the future. 

We see once again that Christ is alive 

And active and is a risen lord, 

Not just someone who rose from the dead 2,000 years ago, 

But is active, alive right now, 

Especially through our ministry, through our charity. 

And so today, let us look for signs to strengthen our faith, 

A faith that Jesus not only rose from the dead 2,000 years ago, 

But is active and present now because we love him, 

Because we love the church, and because we see 

His presence in so many ways in our world today. 

Well, it’s a delight to be with you on this Easter day 

And to greet all of those who are participating in this mass 

Through television, and I want to offer 

My choicest blessings for happy Easter to all. 

It is an important day in the life of the church, 

In fact, the great feast, many times called the Great Sunday. 

Simply because without the resurrection of the lord, 

There would be no Christianity. 

It is the center of our faith. 

And yet, I think it’s worth asking and pondering, 

How is it that we can sustain a faith 

In an event that happened 2,000 years ago, 

Or at least ask what difference it makes in our life? 

That I think is worth pondering, 

And something that we might get some help in answering 

As we look at this gospel text. 

For it is a text that tells us 

Before people began to have faith and really understand 

What the resurrection is about, 

Something else had to take place. 

And there are three figures that were given, 

Mary of Magdalene, 

Peter, and john, the disciple that Jesus loved. 

And so first of all, we see that Mary Magdalene comes to the tomb 

Not believing that Jesus is going to rise from the dead. 

She’s still in mourning. 

She comes early in the morning when it’s still dark. 

She’s an individual who can’t sleep 

Because of the tragedy that happened on Golgotha. 

But she wants to come to the tomb 

To anoint the body of Jesus. 

That’s her intention. 

But she does so because she’s prompted by love, not by faith. 

And I think that’s important for us to keep in mind. 

Our relationship with Jesus is not, first of all, 

Built on what we believe, 

But how we have experienced the love of Jesus in our lives, 

First of all, and how we love him in return as a response. 

That love is experienced in so many different ways. 

Maybe in a moment in which we have turned to the lord 

In a great tragedy and found solace, 

In a moment in which we have tried 

To figure out the meaning of life 

And there’s a special grace that comes into our life 

That makes sense of things, 

Or even as we study the scriptures, 

As we pray before the blessed sacrament 

And have an experience of the lord who really cares for us 

And really loves us and we love him in return. 

I think that’s important for us to bring to this celebration 

Of Easter this morning, not necessarily that we can say 

That we believe right away, but first of all, that we love. 

We love Jesus and we know that he loves us. 

To unpack that in our lives, 

How is it that we love the lord 

And how is that drawing us to him, 

No matter what happens in life? 

The second thing that we see 

Is that her first impulse afterwards 

Is not to try to figure things out by herself, 

But she runs off to peter and john 

And says that the lord’s body has been taken and she’s upset. 

She finds consolation in coming together with the other disciples 

And it’s a reminder that the community of the church 

Is also something that helps us 

Come to an understanding of our faith. 

Think of it, every Sunday when we come to mass, 

We stand shoulder to shoulder with each other 

And hear each other say, “I believe.” 

That utterance of belief strengthens us 

Because we know that we’re not alone in what we believe. 

And just a few moments after the homily, 

We’re going to renew our baptismal promises 

And you’re going to hear each other tell each other what you believe 

And that you also reject sin 

And the mastery of evil over you. 

That’s so very powerful. 

We come together as fellow pilgrims, 

That pilgrims of hope as the holy father 

Has called us in this jubilee year to be. 

We need a community. 

We need to come to Sunday mass 

To celebrate the various feasts and solemnities 

In order to enrich our faith knowing that we’re not alone 

In this pilgrimage of life that we share. 

I often tell grandparents, 

Especially when they find that maybe their children 

And as a result their grandchildren 

Are not practicing the faith. 

That it’s an opportunity to sit down with both 

And just explain how their faith 

Has got them through different moments. 

How their faith in Jesus and the relationship with the lord 

Has made a difference in their life. 

That kind of testimony, that kind of witness 

As a community of faith is so very powerful 

And strengthens the faith of each one of us. 

And finally we see that scene in which john 

Goes into the tomb after peter 

And he notices those cloths of Jesus that are separated 

And rolled up very neatly in their own piles. 

I think that is very rich as a symbol. 

I’ve often thought maybe what john recognized in that moment was, 

That is how Jesus in fact took care of his bedding every day. 

That he recognized something that he did. 

I like to tell grade school children that in fact 

It’s a sign that Jesus made his bed every morning. 

And maybe they could take an example out of that. 

But I think that it highlights the fact that there are ways 

In which the lord’s own life, which we hear in the scriptures, 

Have made a difference, have in fact impacted our lives as well. 

Where we see things in the scriptures 

That we witness in the world today 

That are being imitated. 

We know how easy it is for us 

To pick up behaviors of one another. 

Years ago when I was a pastor of a parish 

I was getting ready for mass 

And I was walking across the sanctuary 

And there was a man in the back 

Of the empty church and he came up to me and said to me, 

“Do you know John Mayham?” 

And I said, “well yes I did. Why do you ask?” 

He said, “because when I saw you walk across the room there, 

You walked just like john Mayham did. 

You had the same posture, the same gate in your walk.” 

And I said, “well that’s interesting 

Because John Mayham was my grandfather.” 

And apparently I had picked up some of his behaviors 

And even walked in the way he did. 

So maybe there are things in our life 

That we recognize where Jesus is present 

Because he has had an impact on our culture, 

On the way that we look at life as a church. 

And so maybe it’s an opportunity for us 

To see the moments in which we open the eyes of the blind 

And help people for instance 

Who do not see a pathway for life 

And give them hope. 

Ways in which maybe we help people take another step 

And just as Jesus cured those who were lame. 

In which Jesus told us he’s a light of the world 

And we have given maybe opportunity 

To ourselves and others 

By lighting a candle and having that candle glow 

Reminding us that Jesus is a light of the world. 

So I think helping us foster our faith 

Is to look for signs in which we in fact recognize 

In our own behaviors and the behaviors of others 

The presence of the lord at work now 

Because his spirit is alive in our lives. 

My mother had a very difficult time when my dad died 

And she even asked after many years 

Of going to catholic schools and catechesis and believing 

She wondered whether or not 

There really was a resurrection of the dead. 

It was so painful the loss and the separation 

After 57 years of marriage 

And she doubted. She had a moment of doubt. 

And so what she did is she remembered 

That Jesus said, “I’m the light of the world.” 

So she had the man in the cemetery put a glowing candle, 

One of those nice big vigil lights over my dad’s tomb 

On their anniversary, his birthday, 

When he came back from the war. 

Different moments in their life that were significant. 

But she could look out her window 

Because they lived next door to the cemetery 

And she could see that light burning. 

She could see that glow of the candle. 

That reminded her that Jesus said, 

“I’m the light of the world.” 

That just every time as she lit a candle 

In church and she had her faith strengthened, 

So she could do that in those moments. 

So believing that Jesus rose from the dead 

Is a challenge for us after 2,000 years. 

But this gospel today gives us an entry point 

In which in fact we can strengthen our belief. 

First of all, by realizing that we come to Jesus 

Not with believing out of a mental cognition 

About what Jesus did, but our love first of all. 

Love that drew Mary Magdalene to the tomb. 

But also that we keep in mind that the church 

Standing shoulder to shoulder with each other 

As we will in a moment and hear each other’s profession of faith 

Is also something that strengthens our faith. 

And finally, when we look for signs in the world 

Today of how Jesus is active and alive in the world 

Through our actions and the actions of others, 

Like here at Mercy Home 

Where so much good is done, where the gospel has impacted 

This ministry in some significant ways 

To reach out to young people who are struggling 

To give them the hope and light of the future. 

We see once again that Christ is alive 

And active and is a risen lord, 

Not just someone who rose from the dead 2,000 years ago, 

But is active, alive right now, 

Especially through our ministry, through our charity. 

And so today, let us look for signs to strengthen our faith, 

A faith that Jesus not only rose from the dead 2,000 years ago, 

But is active and present now because we love him, 

Because we love the church, and because we see 

His presence in so many ways in our world today. 

Well, it’s a delight to be with you on this Easter day 

And to greet all of those who are participating in this mass 

Through television, and I want to offer 

My choicest blessings for happy Easter to all. 

It is an important day in the life of the church, 

In fact, the great feast, many times called the Great Sunday. 

Simply because without the resurrection of the lord, 

There would be no Christianity. 

It is the center of our faith. 

And yet, I think it’s worth asking and pondering, 

How is it that we can sustain a faith 

In an event that happened 2,000 years ago, 

Or at least ask what difference it makes in our life? 

That I think is worth pondering, 

And something that we might get some help in answering 

As we look at this gospel text. 

For it is a text that tells us 

Before people began to have faith and really understand 

What the resurrection is about, 

Something else had to take place. 

And there are three figures that were given, 

Mary of Magdalene, 

Peter, and john, the disciple that Jesus loved. 

And so first of all, we see that Mary Magdalene comes to the tomb 

Not believing that Jesus is going to rise from the dead. 

She’s still in mourning. 

She comes early in the morning when it’s still dark. 

She’s an individual who can’t sleep 

Because of the tragedy that happened on Golgotha. 

But she wants to come to the tomb 

To anoint the body of Jesus. 

That’s her intention. 

But she does so because she’s prompted by love, not by faith. 

And I think that’s important for us to keep in mind. 

Our relationship with Jesus is not, first of all, 

Built on what we believe, 

But how we have experienced the love of Jesus in our lives, 

First of all, and how we love him in return as a response. 

That love is experienced in so many different ways. 

Maybe in a moment in which we have turned to the lord 

In a great tragedy and found solace, 

In a moment in which we have tried 

To figure out the meaning of life 

And there’s a special grace that comes into our life 

That makes sense of things, 

Or even as we study the scriptures, 

As we pray before the blessed sacrament 

And have an experience of the lord who really cares for us 

And really loves us and we love him in return. 

I think that’s important for us to bring to this celebration 

Of Easter this morning, not necessarily that we can say 

That we believe right away, but first of all, that we love. 

We love Jesus and we know that he loves us. 

To unpack that in our lives, 

How is it that we love the lord 

And how is that drawing us to him, 

No matter what happens in life? 

The second thing that we see 

Is that her first impulse afterwards 

Is not to try to figure things out by herself, 

But she runs off to peter and john 

And says that the lord’s body has been taken and she’s upset. 

She finds consolation in coming together with the other disciples 

And it’s a reminder that the community of the church 

Is also something that helps us 

Come to an understanding of our faith. 

Think of it, every Sunday when we come to mass, 

We stand shoulder to shoulder with each other 

And hear each other say, “I believe.” 

That utterance of belief strengthens us 

Because we know that we’re not alone in what we believe. 

And just a few moments after the homily, 

We’re going to renew our baptismal promises 

And you’re going to hear each other tell each other what you believe 

And that you also reject sin 

And the mastery of evil over you. 

That’s so very powerful. 

We come together as fellow pilgrims, 

That pilgrims of hope as the holy father 

Has called us in this jubilee year to be. 

We need a community. 

We need to come to Sunday mass 

To celebrate the various feasts and solemnities 

In order to enrich our faith knowing that we’re not alone 

In this pilgrimage of life that we share. 

I often tell grandparents, 

Especially when they find that maybe their children 

And as a result their grandchildren 

Are not practicing the faith. 

That it’s an opportunity to sit down with both 

And just explain how their faith 

Has got them through different moments. 

How their faith in Jesus and the relationship with the lord 

Has made a difference in their life. 

That kind of testimony, that kind of witness 

As a community of faith is so very powerful 

And strengthens the faith of each one of us. 

And finally we see that scene in which john 

Goes into the tomb after peter 

And he notices those cloths of Jesus that are separated 

And rolled up very neatly in their own piles. 

I think that is very rich as a symbol. 

I’ve often thought maybe what john recognized in that moment was, 

That is how Jesus in fact took care of his bedding every day. 

That he recognized something that he did. 

I like to tell grade school children that in fact 

It’s a sign that Jesus made his bed every morning. 

And maybe they could take an example out of that. 

But I think that it highlights the fact that there are ways 

In which the lord’s own life, which we hear in the scriptures, 

Have made a difference, have in fact impacted our lives as well. 

Where we see things in the scriptures 

That we witness in the world today 

That are being imitated. 

We know how easy it is for us 

To pick up behaviors of one another. 

Years ago when I was a pastor of a parish 

I was getting ready for mass 

And I was walking across the sanctuary 

And there was a man in the back 

Of the empty church and he came up to me and said to me, 

“Do you know John Mayham?” 

And I said, “well yes I did. Why do you ask?” 

He said, “because when I saw you walk across the room there, 

You walked just like john Mayham did. 

You had the same posture, the same gate in your walk.” 

And I said, “well that’s interesting 

Because John Mayham was my grandfather.” 

And apparently I had picked up some of his behaviors 

And even walked in the way he did. 

So maybe there are things in our life 

That we recognize where Jesus is present 

Because he has had an impact on our culture, 

On the way that we look at life as a church. 

And so maybe it’s an opportunity for us 

To see the moments in which we open the eyes of the blind 

And help people for instance 

Who do not see a pathway for life 

And give them hope. 

Ways in which maybe we help people take another step 

And just as Jesus cured those who were lame. 

In which Jesus told us he’s a light of the world 

And we have given maybe opportunity 

To ourselves and others 

By lighting a candle and having that candle glow 

Reminding us that Jesus is a light of the world. 

So I think helping us foster our faith 

Is to look for signs in which we in fact recognize 

In our own behaviors and the behaviors of others 

The presence of the lord at work now 

Because his spirit is alive in our lives. 

My mother had a very difficult time when my dad died 

And she even asked after many years 

Of going to catholic schools and catechesis and believing 

She wondered whether or not 

There really was a resurrection of the dead. 

It was so painful the loss and the separation 

After 57 years of marriage 

And she doubted. She had a moment of doubt. 

And so what she did is she remembered 

That Jesus said, “I’m the light of the world.” 

So she had the man in the cemetery put a glowing candle, 

One of those nice big vigil lights over my dad’s tomb 

On their anniversary, his birthday, 

When he came back from the war. 

Different moments in their life that were significant. 

But she could look out her window 

Because they lived next door to the cemetery 

And she could see that light burning. 

She could see that glow of the candle. 

That reminded her that Jesus said, 

“I’m the light of the world.” 

That just every time as she lit a candle 

In church and she had her faith strengthened, 

So she could do that in those moments. 

So believing that Jesus rose from the dead 

Is a challenge for us after 2,000 years. 

But this gospel today gives us an entry point 

In which in fact we can strengthen our belief. 

First of all, by realizing that we come to Jesus 

Not with believing out of a mental cognition 

About what Jesus did, but our love first of all. 

Love that drew Mary Magdalene to the tomb. 

But also that we keep in mind that the church 

Standing shoulder to shoulder with each other 

As we will in a moment and hear each other’s profession of faith 

Is also something that strengthens our faith. 

And finally, when we look for signs in the world 

Today of how Jesus is active and alive in the world 

Through our actions and the actions of others, 

Like here at Mercy Home 

Where so much good is done, where the gospel has impacted 

This ministry in some significant ways 

To reach out to young people who are struggling 

To give them the hope and light of the future. 

We see once again that Christ is alive 

And active and is a risen lord, 

Not just someone who rose from the dead 2,000 years ago, 

But is active, alive right now, 

Especially through our ministry, through our charity. 

And so today, let us look for signs to strengthen our faith, 

A faith that Jesus not only rose from the dead 2,000 years ago, 

But is active and present now because we love him, 

Because we love the church, and because we see 

His presence in so many ways in our world today. 

Well, it’s a delight to be with you on this Easter day 

And to greet all of those who are participating in this mass 

Through television, and I want to offer 

My choicest blessings for happy Easter to all. 

It is an important day in the life of the church, 

In fact, the great feast, many times called the Great Sunday. 

Simply because without the resurrection of the lord, 

There would be no Christianity. 

It is the center of our faith. 

And yet, I think it’s worth asking and pondering, 

How is it that we can sustain a faith 

In an event that happened 2,000 years ago, 

Or at least ask what difference it makes in our life? 

That I think is worth pondering, 

And something that we might get some help in answering 

As we look at this gospel text. 

For it is a text that tells us 

Before people began to have faith and really understand 

What the resurrection is about, 

Something else had to take place. 

And there are three figures that were given, 

Mary of Magdalene, 

Peter, and john, the disciple that Jesus loved. 

And so first of all, we see that Mary Magdalene comes to the tomb 

Not believing that Jesus is going to rise from the dead. 

She’s still in mourning. 

She comes early in the morning when it’s still dark. 

She’s an individual who can’t sleep 

Because of the tragedy that happened on Golgotha. 

But she wants to come to the tomb 

To anoint the body of Jesus. 

That’s her intention. 

But she does so because she’s prompted by love, not by faith. 

And I think that’s important for us to keep in mind. 

Our relationship with Jesus is not, first of all, 

Built on what we believe, 

But how we have experienced the love of Jesus in our lives, 

First of all, and how we love him in return as a response. 

That love is experienced in so many different ways. 

Maybe in a moment in which we have turned to the lord 

In a great tragedy and found solace, 

In a moment in which we have tried 

To figure out the meaning of life 

And there’s a special grace that comes into our life 

That makes sense of things, 

Or even as we study the scriptures, 

As we pray before the blessed sacrament 

And have an experience of the lord who really cares for us 

And really loves us and we love him in return. 

I think that’s important for us to bring to this celebration 

Of Easter this morning, not necessarily that we can say 

That we believe right away, but first of all, that we love. 

We love Jesus and we know that he loves us. 

To unpack that in our lives, 

How is it that we love the lord 

And how is that drawing us to him, 

No matter what happens in life? 

The second thing that we see 

Is that her first impulse afterwards 

Is not to try to figure things out by herself, 

But she runs off to peter and john 

And says that the lord’s body has been taken and she’s upset. 

She finds consolation in coming together with the other disciples 

And it’s a reminder that the community of the church 

Is also something that helps us 

Come to an understanding of our faith. 

Think of it, every Sunday when we come to mass, 

We stand shoulder to shoulder with each other 

And hear each other say, “I believe.” 

That utterance of belief strengthens us 

Because we know that we’re not alone in what we believe. 

And just a few moments after the homily, 

We’re going to renew our baptismal promises 

And you’re going to hear each other tell each other what you believe 

And that you also reject sin 

And the mastery of evil over you. 

That’s so very powerful. 

We come together as fellow pilgrims, 

That pilgrims of hope as the holy father 

Has called us in this jubilee year to be. 

We need a community. 

We need to come to Sunday mass 

To celebrate the various feasts and solemnities 

In order to enrich our faith knowing that we’re not alone 

In this pilgrimage of life that we share. 

I often tell grandparents, 

Especially when they find that maybe their children 

And as a result their grandchildren 

Are not practicing the faith. 

That it’s an opportunity to sit down with both 

And just explain how their faith 

Has got them through different moments. 

How their faith in Jesus and the relationship with the lord 

Has made a difference in their life. 

That kind of testimony, that kind of witness 

As a community of faith is so very powerful 

And strengthens the faith of each one of us. 

And finally we see that scene in which john 

Goes into the tomb after peter 

And he notices those cloths of Jesus that are separated 

And rolled up very neatly in their own piles. 

I think that is very rich as a symbol. 

I’ve often thought maybe what john recognized in that moment was, 

That is how Jesus in fact took care of his bedding every day. 

That he recognized something that he did. 

I like to tell grade school children that in fact 

It’s a sign that Jesus made his bed every morning. 

And maybe they could take an example out of that. 

But I think that it highlights the fact that there are ways 

In which the lord’s own life, which we hear in the scriptures, 

Have made a difference, have in fact impacted our lives as well. 

Where we see things in the scriptures 

That we witness in the world today 

That are being imitated. 

We know how easy it is for us 

To pick up behaviors of one another. 

Years ago when I was a pastor of a parish 

I was getting ready for mass 

And I was walking across the sanctuary 

And there was a man in the back 

Of the empty church and he came up to me and said to me, 

“Do you know John Mayham?” 

And I said, “well yes I did. Why do you ask?” 

He said, “because when I saw you walk across the room there, 

You walked just like john Mayham did. 

You had the same posture, the same gate in your walk.” 

And I said, “well that’s interesting 

Because John Mayham was my grandfather.” 

And apparently I had picked up some of his behaviors 

And even walked in the way he did. 

So maybe there are things in our life 

That we recognize where Jesus is present 

Because he has had an impact on our culture, 

On the way that we look at life as a church. 

And so maybe it’s an opportunity for us 

To see the moments in which we open the eyes of the blind 

And help people for instance 

Who do not see a pathway for life 

And give them hope. 

Ways in which maybe we help people take another step 

And just as Jesus cured those who were lame. 

In which Jesus told us he’s a light of the world 

And we have given maybe opportunity 

To ourselves and others 

By lighting a candle and having that candle glow 

Reminding us that Jesus is a light of the world. 

So I think helping us foster our faith 

Is to look for signs in which we in fact recognize 

In our own behaviors and the behaviors of others 

The presence of the lord at work now 

Because his spirit is alive in our lives. 

My mother had a very difficult time when my dad died 

And she even asked after many years 

Of going to catholic schools and catechesis and believing 

She wondered whether or not 

There really was a resurrection of the dead. 

It was so painful the loss and the separation 

After 57 years of marriage 

And she doubted. She had a moment of doubt. 

And so what she did is she remembered 

That Jesus said, “I’m the light of the world.” 

So she had the man in the cemetery put a glowing candle, 

One of those nice big vigil lights over my dad’s tomb 

On their anniversary, his birthday, 

When he came back from the war. 

Different moments in their life that were significant. 

But she could look out her window 

Because they lived next door to the cemetery 

And she could see that light burning. 

She could see that glow of the candle. 

That reminded her that Jesus said, 

“I’m the light of the world.” 

That just every time as she lit a candle 

In church and she had her faith strengthened, 

So she could do that in those moments. 

So believing that Jesus rose from the dead 

Is a challenge for us after 2,000 years. 

But this gospel today gives us an entry point 

In which in fact we can strengthen our belief. 

First of all, by realizing that we come to Jesus 

Not with believing out of a mental cognition 

About what Jesus did, but our love first of all. 

Love that drew Mary Magdalene to the tomb. 

But also that we keep in mind that the church 

Standing shoulder to shoulder with each other 

As we will in a moment and hear each other’s profession of faith 

Is also something that strengthens our faith. 

And finally, when we look for signs in the world 

Today of how Jesus is active and alive in the world 

Through our actions and the actions of others, 

Like here at Mercy Home 

Where so much good is done, where the gospel has impacted 

This ministry in some significant ways 

To reach out to young people who are struggling 

To give them the hope and light of the future. 

We see once again that Christ is alive 

And active and is a risen lord, 

Not just someone who rose from the dead 2,000 years ago, 

But is active, alive right now, 

Especially through our ministry, through our charity. 

And so today, let us look for signs to strengthen our faith, 

A faith that Jesus not only rose from the dead 2,000 years ago, 

But is active and present now because we love him, 

Because we love the church, and because we see 

His presence in so many ways in our world today.