He’s alive!

ON MARCH 19, 2011, I stopped to bless a bloodied, unconscious person lying on the road; he had figured in a motorcycle accident under the Guadalupe Bridge in Makati City. As I was blessing him aloud, imagine my surprise when suddenly, he opened his eyes, looked at me, and said, “Fr. Jerry? Fr. Jerry Orbos? The one on TV?”  That was one “resurrection moment” I will never forget. He whom I thought was dead was alive, and he knew me!

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Today is Easter Sunday. Jesus is alive, and He knows us! In today’s gospel (Jn. 20, 1-9), Mary of Magdala, Peter and John found an empty tomb. Jesus whom they buried was no longer there. He whom they thought was dead was alive. It must have been a perplexing, scary moment for them, but it was also a very personal and joyful moment for them. As He foretold, Jesus, the Christ, the Lord has risen from the dead.

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The resurrection is not some event that happened 2,000 years ago, but an ongoing personal experience that holds us and moves us. Because of the resurrection we live filled with confidence that death is not the end. Yes, because of the resurrection we know that we are loved here and now till life everlasting.

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To say that the resurrection must be a personal treasure is not to say that it is exclusive. It must be shared! We must become agents of the resurrection, not agents of death. Insofar as we give life, joy, hope and love, we make the resurrection a reality in our life and in other people’s lives. Ask yourself today: Am I a life-giving, love-giving, hopeful and joyful person?

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Wherever or however we spent the Holy Week, hopefully, this Easter Sunday, we all feel better, are better because we underwent a spiritual “spa.” As you and I know, no spa happens if we don’t take or make time for it, and if we don’t stay still. May the Holy Week remind us that life is not just about moving up or moving on, but also staying simple and staying still.

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After the Holy Week, how do we bring the resurrection to our homes, our communities, or to our work places? It’s back to reality for most of us. However, let us not forget our mission to bring Christ to the realities around us. Along with the resurrection is the mission to “go to the whole world and preach the gospel to all creation.”  (Mk.16,15)

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The reality is that a lot of people are suffering around us. All the devotions and emotions we experienced in the Holy Week should lead us to more concrete and more real loving and caring. Be warned of “spiritual gluttony” that focuses on spiritual highs, but does not trickle down to concrete loving in real life.

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Someone texted me these beautiful Easter attitudes: “Always make your future greater than your past; always make your contribution greater than your reward; always make your gratitude greater than your success; always see God greater than yourself.”

In other words, Easter should make us always see the “big picture”!

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“Dum spiro, spero.” (While I breathe, I hope.) Hope is one of the basic messages of Easter. Yes, don’t give up on God, on others, and on yourself. We have all the reason to hope. And all our hoping is not baseless. It is all grounded on a God-man who, because of love, suffered so much, died and rose again so that we may have life to the fullest.

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It was their faith in the resurrection that gave hope and strength to the parents, family and friends of 18-year-old actor AJ Perez who died in a car accident last April 16. It was their faith and love for the Risen Lord that further moved them to donate the corneas of AJ’s eyes to blind girl Fatima Soriano. As it turned out, Fatima needed retina, and not cornea, transplant, so AJ’s corneas were given to other recipients. Admirable Easter attitudes were the generosity of AJ’s parent, and Fatima’s obedience and docility to God’s will.

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On a personal note, part of my Holy Week was spent cleaning my room and disposing of the “trash” I have accumulated through the years. It is not easy to part with the treasures and memories of yesteryears, but what made me do that with facility was when I raised the question: Will this thing matter at all when I die? Believe me, we don’t need much in this life, and we carry nothing with us when we die, except the love in our hearts.

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Wishing you all a Happy Easter! Wishing you all strength and courage in whatever trials, and hope and joy in whatever problems; but most of all, peace and love in your hearts and in your homes and beyond. Fresh start, new beginnings. Thank God for Easter. Thank God for hope and meaning. Thank God for eternal life.

A moment with the Lord:

Lord, help me to live a beautiful life that proclaims that you are alive. Amen.