EASTER SUNDAY
Saint Cecilia Catholic Community
Rev. David Justin Lynch
April 05, 2026 10:30 AM
Acts 10:34A;37-42 | Psalm 118:1-2;16-17;22-23
Colossians 3:1-4 | John 20:1-9
+In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, AMEN.
Imagine a group of people, each carrying their unique burdens—some struggling with grief, others battling addiction, and some feeling utterly alone. Now, picture someone stepping into that space, offering hope and healing, regardless of their past. This is the essence of Jesus’ ministry. It should be the essence of our ministry as well.
In today’s First Reading, Peter realizes that God shows no partiality and that the good news of Jesus is for everyone. This revelation came during a time when the primarily Jewish early church was wrestling with the inclusion of non-Jews. However, the message of salvation through Jesus breaks down barriers, emphasizing God’s unwavering love.
In the person of Jesus, God demonstrates universal, unconditional love. God is lovingly impartial. Immediately after the Resurrection, the early church was shocked to learn that the gospel was not just for the Jews but for Gentiles as well. This radical inclusion reflects the nature of God’s love.
Saint Paul, in his Epistle to the Galatians, explicitly tells us, “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” God wants us to examine our own hearts for biases and prejudices. Ask yourself if there are people or groups you unconsciously exclude from your love and acceptance. Jesus calls us to love our enemies. The Scriptures challenge us to embrace diversity and extend grace to all, even to people with who we feel uncomfortable.
Several years ago, a Priest volunteered at a community meal program. Most of the people coming through the line were immigrants and people experiencing homelessness. One evening, a quiet man named Jose with a thick accent came through the line and asked if he could sit and talk.
The Priest sat down with Jose and learned that Jose had walked hundreds of miles to reach the United States. He had lost his job, had little money, and was sleeping wherever he could find shelter. Yet during the conversation, Jose said something remarkable.
He said, “Every morning I pray the Lord’s Prayer. Even when I have nothing.” The Priest asked, “Why do you still pray when life is so hard?” Sam smiled and replied, “Because God still knows where I am.” Then he added something that stayed with the Priest forever: “When someone shares food with me, I see the face of God.”
In that moment, the Priest realized something humbling. She had come to the meal program thinking she was bringing God’s love to others. But through that conversation, she understood that God’s love was already there—and that she herself was the one receiving a lesson.
Notice that in this story, the Priest is a “she.” In this morning’s Gospel, we hear the evangelist recount how Mary Magdalene witnessed the empty tomb and told Peter and another disciple. Her message affirmed their faith in the risen Christ. Their encounter propelled them into a life of bold witnessing. Isn’t that what Priests are supposed to do? What Mary Magdalene proclaimed on Easter morning affirms my conviction that women make good Priests and that any opposition to women in Holy Orders is frivolous and totally without merit.
Encounters with people who are different from us—different cultures, different struggles, different perspectives—often become the very places where we discover how wide God’s love truly is.
Today’s First Reading describes Jesus’ ministry of healing and doing good. The resurrection is the ultimate affirmation of His power and love. He overcame sin and death, proving that no situation is beyond His redemptive reach.
As the people of God, we are called to testify about the transformative power of the resurrection in our own lives. Resurrection isn’t just a historical event; it’s a present reality that shapes our lives.
Today’s Psalm highlights how God’s intervention is often unexpected, and through the Resurrection, we see the ultimate expression of God’s sovereignty and goodness. In practical terms, this means living intentionally in our daily lives—pursuing what reflects our identity in Jesus, such as love, joy, and service. Consider how your daily choices reflect this new identity.
Yes, God’s love is inclusive. God calls us to witness the power of the resurrection and to live out our new identity in Jesus. Life for the people of God is not merely adherence to moral rules; it is living from a new identity rooted in the risen Christ. The resurrection, therefore, calls Christians to orient their lives toward God’s kingdom—toward truth, justice, mercy, and holiness. The Eastern Christian tradition speaks of this transformation as participation in the life of the risen Christ, which ultimately leads toward theosis, the process of becoming more fully united with God.
Saint Paul writes in his Epistle to the Romans, “Just as Christ was raised from the dead… so we too might walk in newness of life.” This “newness of life” includes turning away from sin, cultivating virtues such as humility, patience, and generosity, and seeking justice and mercy in our world.
Because Jesus was resurrected, the people of God live with confidence that God’s life ultimately triumphs over all forces of destruction. The Resurrection of Jesus produces courage, endurance, and hope. Christians are able to confront injustice and hardship because they trust that God’s future is already breaking into the present through the Resurrection of Jesus.
The crucifixion of Jesus looked like the triumph of injustice. A righteous man was executed by political and religious powers. Yet the Resurrection revealed that God overturned that injustice. The Resurrection has God declaring that injustice will not ultimately prevail. Christians confronting oppression or suffering do so with the conviction that God’s justice will ultimately triumph.
This conviction sustained many early Christians who endured persecution while believing that the risen Christ had already defeated the powers of sin and death. After encountering the Risen Christ, the disciples who once fled in fear now preached boldly. The Book of Acts repeatedly emphasizes their courage in confronting injustice and oppression.
Christians resist injustice through acts of mercy, truth, reconciliation, and solidarity with the oppressed. Because they trust that God’s kingdom is already emerging, they can act with patience and hope rather than despair. The Resurrection assures us that such efforts are not futile.
The best advice I can give you today is: Do not lose hope. Instead, confront injustice and hardship with courage. The Resurrection of Jesus assures that injustice will not ultimately prevail. God’s kingdom has already begun. Fear and death have been defeated. Love is stronger than violence. Our labor for justice participates in God’s new creation.
The Resurrection, therefore, transforms Christian life into a form of hopeful resistance. The people of God do not ignore suffering or injustice; instead, they face it with the conviction that God’s future—marked by justice, reconciliation, and life—has already begun in the risen Christ, who remains alive to us, now and ever. AMEN.