Happy Easter 2023

After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.

2.There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. 4.The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.

5.The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. 6. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. 7.Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you

It is hard if not impossible to speak about Easter without speaking about the events that led up to Easter. For the sake of time, I will limit this reflection to the time between Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday. I am talking about that memorable Sunday, when the people of Jerusalem laid down their garments, waving branches of palm trees and spreading many other branches around, shouting: “Hosannah to the Son of David; … Hosanna in the highest heaven”. This ceremony involving palm tree branches was not strange for the Jews and indeed for the people of Jerusalem. It was done especially during war, after a spectacular victory is won.

What may seem strange to us today reflecting on Palm Sunday is Jesus accepting to be presented as a victorious liberator when his battle had not yet even started. Think about it: do you think, if the people of Jerusalem knew what was going to happen on Thursday, at the garden of Gethsemane, would still have welcomed Jesus this way? In Gethsemane is where we see Jesus at his weakest, praying for the cup to pass, literally sweating bloody. If they knew that he would be indicted, judged, condemned, and hanged as his punishment, do you think the people would really have greeted him with such respect as the Son of David? The question you may be asking yourself now is: since Jesus knew the reality of the week ahead, why did he ‘deceive’ the people of Jerusalem?

As you are there, my brother and my sister, you may be sitting with a heavy week ahead of you! Just like the week Jesus had after Palm Sunday. You may be experiencing financial hardship and not know where your next meal will come from or even if you will soon still have a roof over your head. You may be wondering where to get school fees and materials for your lovely child now that spring break is winding down. You too may have a heavy week, with uncertainty in your relationship. Some people cry so much in their relationships that you wonder if they are dating onions! You may have a serious illness with no cure in sight, or any other seemingly insurmountable challenge that makes your week seem impossibly tough.

The week ahead of you may be tough, but make no mistake, it cannot be compared to the week Jesus had that led him to the cross. Why did he accept to be celebrated as a liberator, a winner? If it were me on Palm Sunday in the place of Jesus, I would think about how to flee the capital quietly and go back to Egypt for safety as Mary and Joseph had done 33 years earlier. But staying and confronting the challenges? Yes, he could because he knew that Easter Sunday was coming! He knew that after all the suffering, even death on the cross, Sunday was coming! He knew that the victory was imminent, and that is the same victory you too you have, my brother and my sister! Yes, no matter how tough the week is for you, the victory is just around the corner, Easter Sunday is coming, Hallelujah! Take courage my sister, my brother, Sunday is coming. No matter how dark the days may now be, your relief is coming soon, your victory in Jesus, Easter Sunday is coming.

HAPPY EASTER 2023