The Resurrected Life

Then the angel said to the women in reply, “Do not be afraid! I know that you are seeking Jesus the crucified. He is not here, for he has been raised just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples, ‘He has been raised from the dead, and he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him.’ Behold, I have told you.” (Matt 28:5-7)

A reflection from Father Tudgay for Easter Sunday of the Resurrection of the Lord.

Brothers and sisters: If then you were raised with Christ, seek what is above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Think of what is above, not of what is on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ your life appears, then you too will appear with him in glory. 

One of the scariest words in human experience is the word “If”. Why? It implies a condition, a quid pro quo in order to be fulfilled or realized, like simple cause and effect. If this, then that. Essentially, it is existential physics. The words that we hear from Saint Paul in his Letter to the Colossians have profound consequences for us today. Today, Christians throughout the world celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Today, the world rejoices in Christ’s victory over sin and death, as the fulfillment of the promises throughout all of salvation history are realized in the simple word, Alleluia! 

What about this if /then thing? Our Gospel passage takes us into the past – not because of the historical account of Christ’s resurrection – but because Mary of Magdala was looking for Christ where he could not be found. Her initial instinct was to be backward facing. Mary went to the tomb, the place of death. She found it empty. Her first inkling was to search for God in the place of death, in the past, in what came before, in what was known, familiar, and predictable. Christ could not be found there. If we are raised with Christ – that is to say, if we are baptized and are living the life of God’s grace – and we search for him where he can’t be found, then our experience of the Christian Faith is one, big empty tomb.  

“If”. Very scary word. If Christ is alive in us, then the way that we search and find is different. Mary teaches us that this Sunday. Her transition from where she originally sought Christ to her proclamation of his resurrection captures the entire Christian journey.  If you were raised with Christ, seek what is above. Why is Mary’s transformation so essential for us to observe and embrace? Because being possessed by Christ takes us completely out of what is known or preferred or earned and places God’s will before us, rather than our own.  

If Christ is fully alive in us and if we fully dispose ourselves to his will, then the eyes of our heart will search for the place where he is alive. In the midst of so much despair in our world today, the resurrection draws the Christian heart and mind forward, not backward, to the anticipation of Christ’s revelation in our world and in our lives. There are many things occurring in our world right now that are distressing and frightening. Do they define us? Do they define the Christian? The Paschal Mystery teaches us that Christ’s victory over sin and death neutralizes even the most horrifying circumstances occurring at any moment in history. If we belong to Christ and we seek him where he is actually found, then we receive and reflect his glory, no matter what is happening anywhere, ever! A Blessed and Happy Easter to everyone!