Father Thomas Welbers' Homily	Jump back to Homily Index
Easter Sunday April 20, 2003 Acts 10:34a, 37-43 Colossians 3:1-4 or 1 Corinthians 5:6b-8 Mark 16:1-7	Listen to Audio

This is the day to recall what God has done. There is nothing new about Easter, we celebrate every year the same mystery. And yet there is everything new.

What struck me as I was preparing this Gospel were those little words that I had kind of passed over before. The words of the angel to the women at the tomb, “He is going before you into Galilee.” Why go to Galilee? They were in Jerusalem, where the work of our salvation was accomplished. Why go to Galilee? Because that’s where it all began.
The disciples did not understand. Throughout the whole life of Jesus, they were clueless. Those who put him to death understood; those who rejected him knew why they were rejecting him, they wanted no part of a God who would do the things Jesus did, who would associate with the outcasts, who would welcome sinners. The proper religious people understood, and wanted no part of that. But the disciples seemed to walk through all Jesus’ ministry, and especially his passion and death, in a haze, without really understanding at all.

In order now to lead them to understanding, the Risen Jesus sent them back to Galilee where it all began, so that he might lead them step-by-step in their minds and hearts through the journey that they had already made, now pointing out to them all the indications they had experienced, which they could now begin to understand in the light of its fulfillment. It was that going back to their origins that gave the disciples the power to go forth throughout the whole world and share what they had received, to proclaim the risen Christ.

Easter is the time of baptism. In nearly every Church we welcome new Christian to be baptized through water and the holy Spirit. And we experience with them the newness of this life in baptism; we experience with them the font of rebirth. Today, we renew our baptismal promises and will feel again the water of baptism touching us. The Lord is calling us back to our origins; the Lord is calling us back to Galilee, where we were first called, to reveal himself anew and afresh in our midst, and to give us the power to proclaim in word and action the presence and love of the Risen Christ.

© Thomas Welbers, 2003