Easter Message -2021

Greetings to our beloved Sisters and Brothers in Christ Jesus; “Easter is meant to be a symbol of hope, renewal, and new life”. In our journey through life, we are confronted with several problems and difficulties which can make us lose our perspective. We can lose all direction in life and remain helpless. Then there is nothing left for us and we become like lost children filled with uncertainty. In such situations we need positive support and divine guidance and a sincere desire to follow Jesus which can place us on the right path.

The feast of Easter is the celebration of Jesus’ victory over death and mankind’s hope for eternal life. This feast gives us the hope of our own Resurrection and at the same time keeps us united with the living Christ who has promised to be with us.

In the Easter context we see Jesus as a consoler, and he provides help to his disciples who are filled with fear. He comes consistently to their aid and remains with them, guides them and eats with them. By breaking the bread with the disciples and sharing the meal he makes them experience his real presence.

The resurrection of Jesus is the greatest miracle that took place during his earthly stay. It is the foundation and the cornerstone of our Christian faith. The death of Jesus on Golgotha (which means Place of the Skull), proved that he was truly human. His resurrection showed that he was divine. During his public life Jesus announced that he was the Son of God and spoke of his mission to proclaim the Kingdom of God. Through his resurrection Jesus’s victory over death won for us eternal life.

Are we Christians in our day-to-day life? Do we experience resurrection in our daily life?

To the Disciples the Resurrection was a new experience. It was something totally unexpected and new. It gave them a new vision of life. They were people totally transformed with the presence of the Resurrected Jesus. They had seen his suffering and during that time most of them had remained hidden out of fear.

The celebration of Easter Sunday totally reverses the image of Good Friday. It tells us that what took place on the cross on Good Friday was not just a simple death but a real sacrifice, it was not a defeat but a triumph over sin and death, and it was not an end but a great new beginning.

Do we begin a new life after every fall?  Are we ready to come out of our comfort zone for Christ?

The Gospels tell us that after his resurrection Jesus appeared several times to the disciples and each of his appearance was to confirm the belief that he had indeed been raised from the dead. His mission was to lead the disciples from a position of fear and doubt into a position of worship and acceptance. Both apparitions of Jesus to his disciples was to prepare them for the mission of preaching the Gospel message.

He greets them with the familiar words, Peace be with you. The aim of Jesus was to bring peace into an environment of fear and anxiety. Do we have peace within ourselves?  Do we have peace in our community and in the church?  Are we the blessed peace makers?

The Apostles are called by Jesus to pursue a mission to go out into the world and proclaim the kingdom of God and the forgiveness of sins. These events are closely related to each other because they served to convince the disciples more fully of the extraordinary fact of the resurrection of Christ. Jesus wanted the witnesses of his resurrection to be fully conscious of this amazing reality. It was all part of God’s plan. When we have seen something, when we have touched it, we are much more convinced of the reality of its existence.

Have you experienced the Lord personally in your life?  Do you want to be a disciple of Christ?

Finally, ‘’There would be no Christians, if there was no Easter’’. Today on Easter Sunday the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus reminds us that we have the same mission as Peter and Mary Magdalene and the other disciples of Jesus. This requires a radical conversion and a drastic change on our part.  It is something we must commit to each day so we may also to live joyfully and let every day be an Easter Day lived joyfully in the close company of the Risen Lord.

On this Easter Sunday Jesus calls us to be his messengers of peace. We pray that this peace will remain in our hearts and in our families always to make us his messengers in the world of today and tomorrow to come.

Happy Easter to All

Bishop-elect Fr. Bala Madan