On behalf of Fr David and myself, I wish you all a very happy and blessed Easter. This is the greatest Feast of the Church: JESUS Christ after three days in the tomb is truly risen from the dead! And let us be clear from the outset, this is not a spiritual idea or a metaphor. It is a historical fact that JESUS Christ rose from the dead: bodily, physically, truly. The tomb was empty. The same JESUS Who was crucified and died on the Cross, Whose Sacred Heart was pierced with a lance as He hung there, walked out of that tomb glorified, able to be seen, heard and touched. He even ate in front of the Apostles to prove that He was no ghost.

Why does this matter? It matters, because if Christ did not rise bodily from the dead, then death has not been conquered. If the Resurrection was merely symbolic or spiritual as modernists often like to assert, then sin still reigns, the grave still wins, and our faith, as St Paul says, would be in vain (1 Corinthians 15:14). But that is not the case. His bodily Resurrection means that death has been conquered in reality – not just in theory. It means that eternal life is real, and not some abstraction. And what happened to Our Lord is meant, by God’s grace, to happen to us too. At the end of time, our souls will be reunited with our bodies, and if we are faithful, will be glorified like His. This is why Easter is not just important – it’s everything.

The early Christians understood this completely, and they challenge us today. They encountered the risen Lord and it changed them forever. St John Chrysostom (347-407) wrote, “Let no one fear death, for the death of our Saviour has set us free.” This was symbolised most vividly in the Easter Vigil service. After weeks of fasting and preparation, the catechumens (those preparing for Baptism), would enter the font in the darkness of the night. And they understood very well they weren’t just joining a community – they were passing from death to life. By being plunged into the Baptismal water, they were buried with Christ, and by rising from it, they were sharing in His Resurrection. They understood that through Baptism, they became, heirs of Heaven, the adopted sons and daughters of God destined to share in Christ’s eternal glory.

And that is why they faced persecution fearlessly. There are so many accounts of how they went to their horrific martyrdoms with joy, because Easter had settled the ultimate question, and death no longer had the final word. So the Resurrection wasn’t something they merely believed in – they lived it! And this brings us to our own time, where Christianity remains the most persecuted religion in the world today. Many of our brothers and sisters face hostility, imprisonment and even death for simply professing the Name of JESUS. So the same faith that was tested in the catacombs is still being tested today. But because of Easter, persecution doesn’t have the last word. Those who persevere through trials and suffering are promised a share in that same risen life.

So as we celebrate this Feast of Feasts, let us remember those who suffer for the faith, pray for them and take courage from their witness, because the tomb is empty: Christ is risen, and nothing can overcome that truth.

Fr Paul Gillham, IC