Incredible! Homily for Sunday, April 5, 2026

Incredible. Today we celebrate the very thing that has changed everything. We can be saved. We can live forever. And we can find in this life the very way to truly be alive. Readings for Today.

Incredible!

What does it mean to be alive? What does it mean for us to live? Is it just a question of breathing, sleeping, and eating? Is it having a job and a few interests? Does it mean being rich or famous? Are these things what life is all about?

Today, we celebrate the most significant event in Christianity, the resurrection of Jesus. The resurrection of Jesus contrasts what it means to live in this world and to be really alive. We live in contrast. On the one hand, there are those who live for this world only. What is to be valued is to live only for today. Life is about acquiring as much stuff as we can, to live in a world for worldly things, to find scapegoats that make us feel secure, immigrants, refugees, to use trillions of dollars to buy those weapons that cause us to impose power and control.

But our faith provides us another way. Jesus tells us he is the way, the truth, and the life. Jesus shows us that there is much more to life than what I just mentioned. Jesus promises us meaning, purpose, and fulfillment. Jesus promises us something more than the temporary things of this world.

Trusting in the promises of Jesus means accepting that the most valuable and lasting aspects of living are eternal, not things that pass away. Believing that money does not buy happiness, that security does not mean power and control. So the question is, do you want just to be alive, or do you really want to live?

Easter is not just about a bunny and chocolate. It is about learning not only what it means to live, but to open your heart and soul to really be alive. How do we discover what the life of Jesus means for each one of us? The Muslim religion does, I think, get something right about a relationship with God. Islam means surrender, to see in our lives the need to recognize that God knows best, the infinite God so desires to help us to become our best selves that God shares with us everything we need to know.

Too often in this world, the focus is on power, control, getting our own way. To believe in the resurrection means just the opposite, to surrender to the love of God, to recognize that other people are not to be controlled, but are for entering into a relationship that helps us to touch the sacred and the divine.

On Good Friday, Pontius Pilate asked Jesus if Jesus was a king. And Jesus gave an answer that is important for us to remember. He contrasted his kingdom of God with the kingdom of this world, which is about fighting and control. Jesus does not only cause us to be good or kind or nice. Jesus calls us to be disciples, people who have such belief in Jesus, they will follow Jesus wherever he leads, for Jesus is the way. To recognize that every person is made in the image of Christ and is an invitation to get to know Jesus.

But we are all tempted to control. We want to control how others think, what others think, ultimately to seek to make everyone think like us. This is not an issue of just the right or just the left. It is an issue for all of us. It is not just that we disagree, but that we can often insult those with whom we disagree.

The kingdom of the world is one where we believe that we can make ourselves safe. We can save ourselves. That if we just have enough security, weapons, and power, life will be good. It is one that suggests we need to make sure we take care of ourselves before we even consider the needs of others.

But the kingdom of God means recognizing that we belong to each other. That to love God means to love our neighbor. That to love God means loving the poor. To be authentic worshippers of God means we must love the poor just as Jesus did. To live in the kingdom of God means to value a life of purpose and meaning. It means we trust God just as the widow who trusted God so completely, she gave all she had to live on. It means to have the faith and perseverance of Simeon and Anna, who waited so faithfully for the Messiah, they went to the temple each day.

To live in the kingdom of God is to be like the Samaritan we call good, caring for those in need without counting the cost. To be able to recognize that we are not without sin, and so cannot throw stones at the woman caught in the act of adultery. We recognize our need to turn the other cheek, to pray for our persecutors, to love our enemies.

But to live the resurrection is not just about what we do for others or what we believe about others. It is also about how we see ourselves. Do we see ourselves as lovable, as beloved sons and daughters of God? Do we trust in the love of God so completely that we can see just how much he desires for us?

Ultimately, it is answering this question. Do we believe that there can be more for us when we trust in the love, mercy, forgiveness, and grace God constantly offers us? Do we believe that trusting in God, loneliness can be replaced by belonging, that just going through the motions can be replaced by seeing what God and his goodness has done for us?

But are we so convinced that Jesus brings meaning and purpose, that Jesus forgives our sins, that Jesus personally comes to us in the Eucharist, that we are willing to share our faith with others, especially those who are seeking and searching? Or is it the case that we are afraid, afraid of doing this, of praying in public, of taking a stand with our faith?

To be sure, there are many here who have a real and deep relationship with Jesus. Many here who do indeed share their faith. But there may be others who do not really experience, feel, or believe the love of Jesus. Maybe it has been a while since you have attended Mass regularly. Maybe you were baptized but did not receive any other sacraments. Maybe it is the case that curiosity brought you here and you want to explore the possibility of becoming Catholic.

There are QR codes at the doors that anyone can scan to enter the inquiry period to simply ask questions. These QR codes and signing up does not commit you to anything, and our answers will be given to your questions without judgment. Rather, it is because the resurrected Jesus has done so much for us that we want the same fulfillment for others that we have received from Jesus as well.

We celebrate today that Jesus has overcome sin and death. We celebrate the Jesus who asked Peter if Peter loved Jesus three times, a concrete action that allows Peter to profess faith in Jesus, to express love for Jesus in place of his denials. It is to tell others as St. Mary Magdalene did, to see our disappointment turn to hope, as Cleopas and his companion did on the road to Emmaus. Most of all, it is to tell the world that Jesus is risen. He is truly risen.

On the friar, you can listen to our homilies (based on the readings of the day) and reflections. You can also ask us to pray for you or to pray for others. You can subscribe to our website to be informed whenever we publish an update.

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