This Sermon is prepared by
Rev.Fr.Peter Jayakanthan sss
Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament
Corpus Christi Catholic Church,
Houston, Texas, US
Easter SundayI live in a……Tomb of destiny…. or …. Tomb of History!!!Dear Sisters, Brothers and Children, I wish you a Blessed Easter. The risen Christ may continue to deepen our faith and lead us towards a life of newness, hope and history. The year of Faith is a moment of opportunity to examine our faith journey and lift someone towards the light of Christ. Holy Father Pope Francis challenges us through his attitude and action to make history in the lives of the simple, ordinary, helpless and vulnerable. We may join with him in this greater task of living the life of risen Christ among us.Can I believe is destiny? I faced this question on many occasions from persons of different age. I asked them then; if I say there is destiny in what way it will be helpful for them. Mostly no one talks after my question. Those who respond again say, if you say that there is destiny, I will stop all my efforts and extraordinary steps. If I am told that it is a history then I will keep moving and not putting an end to my attitude and thoughts. Afghan war is not a destiny; Middle East crisis is not a destiny, people leaving the Catholic Church is not a destiny, poverty, illness is not destiny. If we look at everything with the outlook of destiny, then we form our own tombs of destiny. The Easter celebration welcomes us to form the tombs of History. Jesus Christ appeared as risen Lord, continues to present in our realities of life. He is not absent rather He is ever present, alive and active. So we are people of life and life in fullness from the Risen Lord. Here we may raise questions about death, suicide, killing, violence, abuses, struggle, pain and illness. Yes, these are the moments of tomb where we are called to break-open, overcome, crossover and pass through like Jesus. He faced denial, betrayal, and humiliation, the highest level of pain, the worst form of suffering and the cruel form of death. It is to show us the way and to immerse into our lives of struggle, which will lead us to tomb not to remain as destiny rather to exit as history. All the four evangelists offer us the resurrection narrative in their gospels. All the four agree that it was the first day of the week, Sunday. They also say together that it was early morning. All of them make a reference that Mary Magdalene visited the tomb first; three of them confirm that Mary was also present as they carried spices for anointing. The rolling of the stone and tomb without Jesus was common expression of four. But, they differ in giving the resurrection message through angels and appearances. They say Jesus body was robbed, worried and upset. We learn here the disciple did not understand Jesus teaching and preaching. Resurrection was not in their mind at all. They formed themselves a tomb of destiny because they ran away at the time of Jesus passion. They did the burial in a hurry on Friday so women came with perfume to continue and complete the ritual. So empty tomb is not a proof of resurrection rather the appearance of the Risen lord open the minds and eyes of the disciples and women. Jesus message was, tomb cannot put an end to me, tomb cannot stop my mission and tomb is the passage you need to breakthrough as I broke through to experience newness, hope, peace and victory. He told the disciples don’t get struck and sit down in the tomb of destiny rather move out, exit and go to proclaim and witness to me. I am Jesus of life, hope and history of all time. Holy Father Francis called us on the first audience of his papacy to step outside to the realities of poor and suffering. He challenged priests and religious during Chrism Eucharist to “go out”, in order to experience our own anointing, its power and its redemptive efficacy: to the “outskirts” where there is suffering, bloodshed, blindness that longs for sight, and prisoners in thrall to many evil masters, to go out and give ourselves and the Gospel to others, giving what little ointment we have to those who have nothing, nothing at all. The scripture reading from the O.T, Genesis about creation and new life of Abraham, Exodus about the historical liberation of people of Israel, texts from Prophets assure forgiveness, hope and promise of the Lord in exile period and despair moments of destruction of Jerusalem. The texts reveal the hand, concern and action of God in the history. God calls to move from slavery, to rise from exile and to step outside from destruction. People of Israel were unfaithful whenever they sat and closed themselves in the tomb of destiny but Yahweh was never tired of getting them out of this tomb to make history. The Paschal candle illuminates our thoughts, minds, hearts and life. We are called to see the Paschal light when we are in tomb of darkness to walk with Risen Christ. Jesus action of breaking through, moving out, overcoming and rising above means, it is possible to exit from this moment, the risen Lord is with me so nothing can stop or restrict my hope, peace and goodness. Disability is possibility’, this is a motivational statement of Emmanuel Kelly who is differently abled, created a sensation when he appeared on Australia’s version of the musical contest X-Factor. Emmanuel and his brother Ahmed were abandoned from an orphanage in Iraq. The brothers both suffered limb deficiencies due to chemical warfare. They were rescued by Miss Moira Kelly of Children First Foundation who later adopted them. “When I was originally found in Iraq by my mom in an orphanage, I was born with no birth certificate, no passport, no nothing,” says Emmanuel. “My story is, I was born in the middle of the war zone. My brother and I were packed in a box, in a shoebox and they bought us in to the orphanage.” But Emmanuel is first hoping to have surgery to repair his hips - a continuing legacy of the severe damage done by Saddam Hussein's chemical weapons. Without surgery to reverse the ongoing damage of scoliosis, Emmanuel could be forced to perform in a wheelchair as well as suffering much worse long-term complications. Emmanuel lives and bears witness to the risen power of Jesus. When he sees disability as possibility, he pushes himself out of his tomb of disability. He does not count his failures rather his eyes, thoughts and minds are open to make history. Where am I in a tomb of destiny or history? 
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