Hi everyone, and welcome to Weekly Homilies with Father Mark Suslenko, Pastor of SS. Isidore and Maria Parish in Glastonbury, Connecticut. We are part of the Catholic Archdiocese of Hartford. I'm Carol Vassar, parish director of communications, and this is Episode 17 of Season 6 for Easter Sunday: April 9, 2023. Our Gospel reading from John Chapter 20, verses 1-9.
On the first day of the week, Mary of Magdala came to the tomb early in the morning, while it was still dark, and saw the stone removed from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them, “They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we don’t know where they put him.”
So Peter and the other disciple went out and came to the tomb. They both ran, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter and arrived at the tomb first; he bent down and saw the burial cloths there, but did not go in.
When Simon Peter arrived after him, he went into the tomb and saw the burial cloths there, and the cloth that had covered his head, not with the burial cloths but rolled up in a separate place. Then the other disciple also went in, the one who had arrived at the tomb first, and he saw and believed. For they did not yet understand the Scripture that he had to rise from the dead.
The Gospel of the Lord.
“Throwing Ourselves Fearlessly Into Faith” by Father Mark S. Suslenko, Pastor, SS. Isidore and Maria Parish, Glastonbury, Connecticut
When we gathered here on Holy Thursday, we celebrated that wonderful gift of the institution of the Eucharist, where Jesus takes the simple elements of bread and wine and transforms them into his own body and blood, soul, and divinity. He celebrates this new Passover feast, emphasizing themes very similar to the original Passover: themes of freedom, new beginnings and hope. But he puts a different twist, a different perspective on things, and he says, rather than keep your eyes fixed on what is below, look to what is above.
You know, Jesus, in his ministry always taught his disciples. He always led them and instructed them and kept stretching and pulling them to see the bigger picture of God's kingdom. And he knew that their need for instruction was by no means over. Their need for presence was by no means concluded and neither is ours. And so he left them the precious gift of his very self in the Eucharist, to guide, to lead, to inspire, and to call them back to the truth of who they are and the greater kingdom of heaven. And he gave them hope. He gave them hope.
Because every time we celebrate the Eucharist, every time they celebrated the Eucharist, we invest ourselves again not in our individual futures but in God's future plan, God's future plan. Confident and certain that in our journey onward, we are all one day destined to be one in Christ, eternally in heaven. There are never any losses, only gains. So this allows us to now journey through our life.
However that road may be, whether it be smooth and level or steep and difficult, a terrain that can vary and change and disappoint and challenge, and whatever life brings us, we can go through with our heads held high. Walking in joyful hope because we know where we're going and where we're headed and are convinced of God's future plan for us.
And then we gathered on Good Friday, and we learned that in order to die and remain faithful to God, it requires great love. In order to be faithful to God, it requires great love when we die.
This is true of our little everyday earthly deaths. Those disappointments, those upsets, those jogs in the road, those unexpected twists, those washes of love, the embarrassments that we face, all the unfinished business of our lives, our sinfulness, those things we messed up. All of it, at the end of the day, can no longer be changed for that day and every day brings us to a moment to learn how to die again. When we take all of that that has happened, and we place it without reservation in God's hands and give it to him as he is and place it in his care to begin yet the next day.
But then that hour will come, that moment in time, that last day, the last moment, the last breath that we draw here on Earth. And we leave all the unfinished business of our lives. All those things that we could have done didn't do. And no matter when it comes, no matter what hour, what time, what year, no matter how old or when the summation of our lives are gently placed once again in love to God for his protective care. And we learn what it means to truly love and abandon ourselves.
And now we're here today, and some witnesses have told us a story. They told us that Jesus Christ was put in a tomb, but now he's not there. He has risen. And that story has been told to us once again, and the question begs to be asked, do we believe that story? Do we believe that Jesus Christ is risen from the dead? Do we believe what those witnesses told us, or do we go back into doubt, suspicion, reservation, and then even despair because of our unbelief?
The question is posed once again to us, and sometimes we answer that question by really not answering it. We live our lives with maybe yes or maybe no. I'm not really sure if that story is true, so I'm gonna stay in the middle somewhere and kind of superficially work my way through, not committing to either way, and I'll deal with it when it comes. Maybe yes or maybe no, but do we really believe that Jesus Christ rose from the dead?
And so we have an And what he said and what he did and all that he taught is true, and that confirms the hope that I found, the love that is in my heart and the faith that cements it all together.
When we stumble upon this, and we courageously accept this truth, we can bring ourselves to a place such as Thomas Merton, a Trappist Monk, did, and I'd like to share a prayer with you this morning. And as I pray these words, I invite you to create a space in your own minds and hearts - a quiet, and listen carefully to the words that he rose to God himself:
"My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me, and I cannot know for certain where it will end, nor do I really know myself. And the fact that I think I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please you does, in fact, please you. And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing. I hope that I never do anything apart from that desire, and I know that if I do this, you will lead me by the right road, though I will know nothing about it. Therefore, I will trust you always; though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death, I will not fear, for you are ever with me, and you'll never leave me to face my perils alone. Amen."
Over these last few sacred days, we've journeyed with some very special friends. They're gifts that God has given to us in place within each of our souls. The very special gift of hope, of love, and of faith. If we nurture those gifts and cling to them fearlessly, then we will, without reservation and without any hesitation, take the words that we have heard this morning and the faith that has gone before us and proclaim with fervor that yes, it is true. Jesus Christ is risen from the dead. Alleluia!. Alleluia!. And we go forth to whatever life brings before us with courage, joy, and conviction.
Father Mark Suslenko is the pastor of SS. Isidore and Maria Parish in Glastonbury, Connecticut. Learn more about our parish community at www.isidoreandmaria.org. And follow us on social media: Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Our music comes free of charge from Blue Dot Sessions in Fall River, Massachusetts. I’m Carol Vassar. Thanks for joining us.