Here we are at the beginning of the twenty-first century and there are millions of people still searching for the meaning of life. We have explored the depths of the oceans and probed the immensity of space and yet few have discovered the meaning of life.

They fill the emptiness of their lives with all sorts of activities that keep them busy and prevent them having to think about the ultimate realities of human existence. The media feed us a diet of images and values that do not nourish our minds and hearts nor satisfy our hunger for life. To a greater of lesser extent we are all guilty of this shortsighted view of life.

Christians find meaning for their existence in the Person of Jesus Christ. Their answer to those who are searching for meaning in their lives is contained in the words of the angel to the women in today's Gospel: "You are looking for Christ".[1]

However, that response may not satisfy even the most sincere searcher for the truth. What they see is an empty tomb and they draw the wrong conclusion. "He is not here!" That, of course is true; but why is He not here? "He is not here, for he has risen, as he said he would. Come and see the place where he lay".[2]

The American novelist, William Faulkner said, "The past isn't dead and buried, in fact it isn't even past". Those are words that could aptly be applied to the Resurrection of Jesus. Lazarus was raised from the dead only to die later. On the other hand, St Paul in the Letter to the Romans writes: "Christ as we know, having been raised from the dead will never die again. Death has no more power over him".[3]

The resurrection of Jesus is both a historical fact and a present reality. The Christ that we worship, the Christ that we receive in Holy Communion, is the Risen Christ. That is why we refer to Holy Communion as the Bread of Life. In Baptism, as children of God, we come to share in the life of the Risen Christ.

The Resurrection is important for the whole world. The problem of good and evil is one that has challenged mankind from the outset. The Bible story of Adam and Eve is the story of misuse of freedom.The God who is love, created us in his own image and likeness.[4] No one can be compelled to love: it must be a free choice. So God endowed us with freedom and therefore made it possible for us not to love Him, indeed, to rebel against Him.

Mankind inherited this gifted but flawed humanity. The Catechism of the Catholic Church says: Adam and Eve immediately lost for themselves and all their descendants the original grace of holiness and justice. Original sin, in which all human beings are born, is the state of deprivation of original holiness and justice/ It is a sin "contracted" by us but nor "committed": it is a state of birth and not a personal act".[5]

This conflict between good and evil affects our whole world and the history of the world is the record of wars motivated by pride, by greed, by indifference to the lives and rights of other people. Jesus came to us as a peacemaker. At the Last Supper he said to his Apostles, Peace I bequeath to you, my own peace I give you, a peace that the world cannot give you, this is, my peace to you".[6]

The Resurrection of Jesus is an event of worldwide significance. He had been condemned to be scourged and crucified by a Roman Governor who was indifferent to truth… "Truth? What is that?" Pilate asked Jesus. He was prepared to condemn an innocent man in order to avoid civil disturbance. Who would have imagined that day that Rome, the capital of a pagan empire, would become the centre of the Christian Faith?

The history of the world has been shaped by the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Our Calendar falls into two parts, BC and AD – "Before Christ" and "Anno Domini" –The Year of the Lord. The Apostles and missionaries brought the Good News to the Middle East and to Europe. Before the discovery of the American Continent, the Gospel had been preached in Africa and Asia. The Church, the Mystical Body of Christ, is alive and thriving – prospering in some places, persecuted in others.

What about you and me? What does the Resurrection of Jesus mean for us? First, it challenges our faith. We have to renew our faith that Jesus has indeed risen from the dead. Secondly, we have to strengthen our hope that we already share in the risen life of Christ and that one day we too will be raised body and soul to new life in the Kingdom of Heaven. This fact and this hope should fire our love for God and fill us with gratitude for sending his Divine Son to pay the price of our redemption and to share with us his Risen Life.

This Good News has been handed down from generation to generation. It has been given to us and God expects us to pass on our faith, our hope and our confidence to those who follow after us. As we rejoice in the Resurrection let us also renew our commitment to Jesus and to the Church.

[1] Matt.28: 3

[2] Ibid.

[3] Rom. 6: 10

[4] Cf. Gen. 1:27

[5] Op.Cit. 75-76

[6] John 14:27