Easter Sunday The Resurrection of the Lord
R. This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad.
Written by Eric Wilkes
First off, a very Happy Easter to you and your family! What an incredible day of celebration! When I was asked to write a reflection of the Easter psalm I was honored, but admittedly a little intimidated. This is one of the most important days on the Catholic liturgical calendars. Today we celebrate the fulfillment of hundreds of prophecies, generations of searching and toil, years of public ministry, countless lives sacrificed, and all of this ache and desire of collective humanity culminating toward the resurrection of the one true Son of God, Jesus Christ, our risen Savior and King. Kind of a big deal. So, to quell my intimidation and bring focus to such a monumental, life altering topic, I decided to narrow my scope a tad. As I was thinking about and praying with this psalm, one word stood out to me; “Rejoice”.
Rejoice is a call back.
To me, this word is a call back. For reasons above my pay grade, Easter Day falls very early this year as we celebrate it on the last day of the month of March. I was talking to a good friend of mine as we were approaching Lent and he pointed out the early Easter celebration. He mentioned his insight that this year, the gap between Advent and Christmas and Lent and Easter were much smaller than usual. This shortened proximity allowed him to feel the connectedness of the liturgical seasons in a new way. As I read the psalm and the word “Rejoice’’ stood out to me, I noticed it felt very familiar. And then I recalled the months of Advent not long ago where every week we sang the chorus of “O Come O Come Emmanuel” and belted the triumphant chorus “Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel has come to Thee O Israel”. Again we sing “Rejoice” in a new way with the renewed confidence that God has indeed accomplished his redemptive plan of salvation through Jesus Christ. Not long ago at Advent we rejoiced at his coming and today we rejoice at his accomplishing work of resurrection.
Rejoice is an invitation.
The psalmist invites us today and always to acknowledge that the Lord has made this day and gives us a myriad of reasons to rejoice, and not the least of these today being the salvation of our souls through the passion, death and resurrection of His only begotten Son. Today we lean into this invitation. I can recall one Easter in particular that I was able to convince my parents to drive an hour and a half away from our home to celebrate the Easter vigil at St. Joseph’s Benedictine Abbey and Seminary College in Covington, LA. Not only was the drive a bit of a sacrifice, but we’d later find out that our 3 am arrival home would also be a bit of a sacrifice. But what wasn’t a sacrifice was immense beauty and reverence with which the 3 hour liturgy was celebrated. The candles, the chanting, sequences, the incense, the generous use of bells and beautiful music, and ultimately the time, energy, and love poured into this celebration by the priests and seminarians. It was hands down one of the most reverent, joyful and beautiful experiences I’ve had to this day. Despite the challenges of the travel and schedule, my only response after that Easter Vigil experience was to rejoice. My heart was so full and I felt like I could enter into the resurrection more fully and joyfully. And what a worthy thing to rejoice over. From being inside beautiful liturgies to the living of our daily lives, as Christians, we are invited to “Rejoice” because this is the day the Lord has made, and each day we choose to renew our baptismal promises and say “yes” to a life with Christ, we again are reminded of the beauty and power of His resurrection in a new way.
Rejoice is a product of hope.
In his Easter homily, “Christ my hope, has risen”, Pope Benedict XVI writes:
“Every Christian relives the experience of Mary Magdalene. It involves an encounter which changes our lives: the encounter with a unique Man who lets us experience all God’s goodness and truth, who frees us from evil not in a superficial and fleeting way, but sets us free radically, heals us completely and restores our dignity. This is why Mary Magdalene calls Jesus “my hope”: he was the one who allowed her to be reborn, who gave her a new future, a life of goodness and freedom from evil. “Christ my hope” means that all my yearnings for goodness find in him a real possibility of fulfillment: with him I can hope for a life that is good, full and eternal, for God himself has drawn near to us, even sharing our humanity.”
When we have the chance to relive this experience of Mary Magdalene, we too have a chance to alter our lives through the acceptance of the hope offered by Christ. And the beauty is in the tangible and visible way she was able to experience it in today’s gospel. She was the first to see the empty tomb early in the morning. And her response was to share this with Peter and John. When we encounter the resurrection, we can’t stay silent. We are compelled to share this news. Pope Benedict XVI goes on to mention how the hope of the resurrection changes our lives. His homily goes on to say this:
“Dear brothers and sisters! If Jesus is risen, then – and only then – has something truly new happened, something that changes the state of humanity and the world. Then he, Jesus, is someone in whom we can put absolute trust; we can put our trust not only in his message but in Jesus himself, for the Risen One does not belong to the past, but is present today, alive. Christ is hope and comfort in a particular way for those Christian communities suffering most for their faith on account of discrimination and persecution. And he is present as a force of hope through his Church, which is close to all human situations of suffering and injustice.”
The resurrection of Christ offers a life changing hope that we can place our trust in and this experience naturally compels us to rejoice. We can’t help but to praise God for what He has done and what He is still doing today.
So, as we celebrate this day of long anticipated hope and joy, know that this day and everyday we have a reason to sing God’s praise and in our lives, whether we are facing challenges or are in a season of consolation, we know that we are right where God has us for a reason. We know that this is the day the Lord has made for us, so let us Rejoice in His perfect plan of salvation and be glad for not only the good things God has given us, but for the greatest gift which is our salvation through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. He is Risen today! Alleluia, Alleluia!
What is one of your favorite Easter Memories?
When is a time you felt most compelled to Rejoice in your walk with Jesus? What is something God has done in your life worth rejoicing with others about?
How can you share the joy of the resurrection you have experienced with those in your sphere of influence?
Eric Wilkes is a Louisiana-born and Chicago-based artist, musician and producer serving churches, communities, and ministries on an international level. He has been an artist, writer, co-writer, instrumentalist, and producer for several projects through NOVUM RECORDS, and is a part of the indie rock duo NOVUM. When he’s not playing music, he enjoys spending quality time with his wife, Cori, his family, and his close friends relaxing and enjoying good conversations. When Eric needs medicine for his soul he finds it in new places, sunny days, trips to the ocean, chai tea lattes, playing piano in empty churches and late night adoration chapel visits. Check out his music on Spotify and Apple Music, and follow Eric on Instagram.
Pray with today’s psalm.