The tomb

The story is told about a preacher who had a rather high regard of himself, and who told his parishioners that he had prepared his homilies for publication posthumously, or after his death. Not knowing what to say, and not sure what “posthumous” meant, one parishioner blurted out: “The sooner, the better, Father!”

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Today is Easter Sunday. The Lord is risen, alleluia! Praise the Lord! Life does not end in death. The Lord is risen! There is life beyond the tomb. The central message of our faith is that God loved us so much that He sent His only Son to save us by His life, passion, death and resurrection. It’s all about a God who loves us tremendously, and whose love goes beyond our earthly life, forevermore!

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In today’s Gospel (Jn. 20, 1-9), we hear how Mary of Magdala discovered an empty tomb on that first Easter morning. The word “tomb” was mentioned seven times in today’s gospel by St. John. It is because John, and many other believers like him at that time, could not go beyond the tomb and accept the resurrection. It took some time for them to realize what had happened, but soon after, by God’s grace, they understood, and they proclaimed the Risen Lord far and wide.

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Are we too focused on the “tombs” of our lives? Do we keep going back, do we keep mourning, and do we keep bewailing our miseries and misfortunes? Can we not let go of our “tombs” and rise up, and become better persons? Do we accept without question that we are a nation that is hopelessly buried in graft, greed and corruption? We must believe, and keep on believing, that there is hope for a fresh start, new beginnings—and new directions.

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What or who are the “tombs” in your life? What or who make your life miserable, empty and unfree? The good news is that there are no permanent, insurmountable “tombs” while we are alive. Precisely, the Lord’s resurrection gives us the powerful message that as long as we live, there is hope, there are possibilities, there are changes, and there are many second chances.

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I have a Japanese friend with whom I have a chance to dialogue from time to time. He is such a good person, and he is sincerely seeking answers to questions about life and about our faith, questions about suffering, God’s love, forgiveness, sacrifice and death. I realize that without faith in the resurrection, a lot of what we believe in will not hold water for many people in our secular society. Let us continue to dialogue with our brothers and sisters of whatever creed, color and culture. Like the disciples on that first Easter morning, let us continue to joyfully proclaim that God is not dead, that He is alive!

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And yet there are Christians who live as if there were no resurrection! They enjoy this life and live as if they were permanent residents here. They hoard worldly wealth and possessions and manifestations of honor as if they could carry these to their literal tombs. They live a life of ostentation and greed—and worse, a life of indifference to other people’s needs, even inflicting hurt and pain on them. May this Easter morning bring us to our knees, make us grateful and lead us to humbly consecrate ourselves to the message and challenge of the resurrection.

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Do you remember the story about Joseph of Arimathea? When asked why he lent the tomb to the disciples for Jesus to be buried in, he answered: “They told me that they will use it only for the weekend!” May the Holy Week, may our faith, not just be for a week or a weekend.

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This past Holy Week, the more I reflected on the life of Mama, the more I realized the depth of her spirituality as well as the road she took in her life and faith journey. She chose the road of prayer, humility and kindness. What road have you taken, what virtues have you chosen, that will help you go beyond your ôtombö?

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Think about this: “If you are helping someone expecting something in return, then you are doing business, not kindness.”

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Happy Easter! The Lord is risen! We, too, must become better persons, and continue our mission.

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We would like to thank the generous sponsors of our Holy Week TV special titled “Always One with You,” which was aired over ABS-CBN last Holy Thursday and Good Friday: Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co., Royal Industrial Development Corp., Allied Enterprises (Bridgestone), Boracay Tropics, Calapan Ventures Inc., Gothong Southern, Hotel Celeste, Master Chef, Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp., Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office, Dr. and Mrs. Abraham Pascual, Sta. Lucia Realty Development Corp. Inc., and Tiqui Builders. Thank you for helping spread the message of Easter!

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A moment with the Lord:

Lord, help me to see the tomb, not as the end, but as the completion of my life mission and my final journey home. Amen.