A Homily for Easter Sunday
Sunday, April 5, 2026
Acts 10:34a, 37-43; Psalm 118:1-2, 16-17, 22-23; Colossians 3:1-4; John 20:1-9
Today, we celebrate the most important event in human history: the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Easter is not simply one feast among many. It is the foundation of everything we believe. As St. Paul says elsewhere, “If Christ has not been raised, our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain.” If the Resurrection did not happen, then Christianity collapses. But if it did happen—and it did—then everything changes.
In our first reading from the Acts of the Apostles, St. Peter speaks with striking clarity about what the Resurrection means. He says, “We are witnesses.” Not philosophers. Not poets. Not people telling symbolic stories. Witnesses. He reminds his listeners that Jesus was put to death, “but God raised him on the third day and granted that he be visible…to us, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead.” Peter is speaking about something historical, concrete, and real. He is saying, in effect: we saw him, we touched him, we spoke with him after he died.
This is what makes Christianity different from every other religion in the world. Christianity stands or falls on a historical claim: that Jesus Christ truly rose from the dead. Not spiritually. Not metaphorically. Not in the hearts of his followers. But bodily, physically, gloriously.
And the Gospel today shows us how unexpected this was. Mary Magdalene comes to the tomb and finds it empty. Peter and John run to see for themselves. They do not yet understand the Scriptures. They are confused. They are searching. But something undeniable has happened. The tomb is empty. Death has been defeated.
Over time, the risen Christ appeared not just to one or two people, but to many: to Mary Magdalene, to the apostles, to the disciples on the road to Emmaus, to more than five hundred believers at once, as St. Paul tells us. These witnesses did not gain wealth or power from their testimony. Instead, they suffered for it. Nearly all the apostles were martyred. Christians throughout history have given their lives rather than deny what they knew to be true.
People will die for something they believe is true. But no one dies for something they know is false. The apostles did not die for a myth. They died for a person they had encountered alive after his crucifixion.
And that changes everything.
Because if Jesus truly rose from the dead, then he is exactly who he claimed to be: the Son of God, the Lord of life and death, the Savior of the world. And if he is the Lord, then we cannot treat him as just a wise teacher or a comforting figure from the past. We must make a decision about him.
The Resurrection forces a choice.
Either Jesus rose from the dead, or he did not. If he did not, then Christianity is a beautiful story but nothing more. But if he did rise, then he is alive now. He is present now. He is calling each one of us now.
And that brings us to the second reading from St. Paul’s Letter to the Colossians: “If then you were raised with Christ, seek what is above.” Notice what Paul is saying. The Resurrection is not just something that happened to Jesus. It is something that has already begun to happen in us. Through Baptism, we were buried with Christ and raised with him. His victory over death is meant to become our victory over sin.
Easter is not only about what happened to Jesus two thousand years ago. It is about what is happening in us today.
This means we can no longer live as if this world is all there is. We can no longer live as if success, comfort, pleasure, or possessions define our lives. We belong to the risen Christ. Our lives are hidden with him in God. Our destiny is not the grave, but glory.
And yet there is a powerful lie in our world today—a lie we hear constantly, even if no one says it directly. The lie is this: you will be happier if you live life your own way rather than Christ’s way. Follow your preferences. Follow your plans. Put yourself first. Do what feels right. Then you will be fulfilled.
But the Resurrection exposes that lie.
If Jesus truly rose from the dead, then he is not simply offering advice. He is revealing reality. He is showing us what life is for. And the saints, across two thousand years, are living proof that those who give their lives to Christ do not lose their happiness—they find it. The apostles left everything. The martyrs surrendered their lives. Countless believers quietly gave themselves in service to others. And they did not become less joyful. They became more alive.
The truth is this: living for ourselves always promises more than it delivers. It narrows the heart. It isolates us. It leaves us restless. But living for Christ expands the heart. It fills life with meaning. It gives us a joy that the world cannot give and cannot take away.
That is why Easter always leads to a decision.
Will we follow the risen Christ, or will we continue to follow our own plans and preferences?
What this means for us today
First, it means that death is not the end. For many people, especially as we grow older, the reality of death becomes more personal and more immediate. We think about loved ones who have gone before us. We think about our own mortality. Easter answers that fear with hope. The Resurrection tells us that death does not have the final word. Christ has opened the gates of eternal life.
Second, it means that suffering is not meaningless. The Cross was not the end of Jesus’ story—and it is not the end of ours either. When we unite our struggles to Christ, they become part of his victory. No suffering offered to God is ever wasted.
Third, it means that we are called to live differently now. If Christ is risen, then we cannot keep living only for ourselves. We cannot cling to resentment, selfishness, or sin. The empty tomb calls us to a new way of life: a life of faith, generosity, forgiveness, and love.
And finally, it means that each of us must make a decision. Will we follow the risen Christ, or will we continue to follow our own plans and preferences? Easter is not just a celebration. It is an invitation. It is the Lord himself standing before us and saying: “Come, follow me.”
The first disciples did not fully understand what they were seeing that morning at the empty tomb. But they knew something extraordinary had happened. And once they encountered the risen Jesus, their lives were never the same again.
That same risen Jesus is present here today. He knows you by name. He calls you personally. He offers you forgiveness, hope, and eternal life.
The Resurrection is not a myth. It is not a symbol. It is not a story meant only to inspire us. It is a reality that demands a response.
Christ is risen. And because he is risen, everything is different. The only question that remains is this:
Will we follow him?