THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH

Her Doctrine and Morals

Easter Sunday

20 April 2025

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The Sunday

Sermon

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Dear Friends in Christ,

Today, we celebrate the Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ. His Resurrection is our hope and joy. He lives now to never die again. In Him, we find the fulfillment of all that prefigured Him in the Old Testament.

When the Israelites were in bondage in Egypt, it was the blood of a lamb marked upon their homes that spared all those who dwelt within it. The Israelites preserved a memory of this event in the annual celebration of the Passover.

The blood of lambs prefigured the Blood Jesus shed for us upon the Cross. As the lamb's blood spared the Israelites from physical death, so the Blood of Jesus spares us from spiritual death.

We see Jesus, the Bread of Life, again prefigured in the manna given to the Israelites in the desert. This miraculous food that preserved the physical lives of the Israelites in the desert prefigures Jesus in the Holy Eucharist, Who nourishes and preserves the life of our souls.

These and many things we read of in the Old Testament are imperfect models demonstrating various aspects of the Perfect Savior and Redeemer — Jesus Christ.

The physical offering of a lamb's blood is no longer required or even helpful. Since Jesus's Resurrection, it may even be considered blasphemous or insulting to God. To return to the old practices before the coming of Jesus Christ is to deny the infinite value of Jesus' Sacrifice. It is a return to Materialism and Pharisaism in a denial of the Spiritual Life that we have in Jesus Christ.

Our Easter Celebrations are not a remembrance of the ancient Passover of the Israelites. The joy of the Israelites in escaping Pharaoh and their Egyptian slavery is insignificant compared to the joy of every Christian, who has received spiritual life and freedom through the Sacrificial Blood of Jesus Christ on the Cross of Calvary.

It is a mistake to compare ourselves with those in the past or even our neighbors in the present. The material things and customs of the past are not necessarily better than what we have in the present. Nor are the material advances of the present necessarily better than what was available in the past. Materially speaking, what we gain in one area of our lives almost necessitates a loss of something else in our lives. It is a constant trade-off. Today's common theme is the sacrifice of our freedoms and independence for security, or at least the illusion of security. The modern worldly advancements have been given to us by God, and they are good. We should be grateful and employ them joyfully for the greater honor and glory of God and the salvation of souls.

In the spiritual realm, we cannot truly compare ourselves with those who lived before Jesus Christ. They had the figures, or models of The Savior; we have The Reality. God gave them the grace necessary to keep hope alive in the coming Messiah. We have been given different graces to receive Him and welcome Him. We must be careful in our criticisms of the past or the future. God's grace is perfectly aligned with our place and needs where we find ourselves.

The joy of the past finds its completion in the present. The Israelites correctly longed for the coming of Jesus Christ. The faithful Israelites now in Heaven rejoice with us in the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. They would be among the first to condemn any idea that the prefigures of the past are better than the Fulfillment in the present.

We no longer look with hope into the future for our redemption. Nor do we investigate the past with envy for the joy they received. Our happiness is in the present. Jesus, Our Redeemer, is alive and with us now and forever. The "A.D." that we use to mark our current year of 2025 means that this is the 2025th year of Our Lord's Presence here on earth.

He is truly with us when we receive Him in Faith. He will remain with us until the end of time and then into eternity. Our annual celebration of His Resurrection fills us with joy, which is most significant when we allow Him to live in us and through us here and now.

May the Immaculate Heart of Mary inspire, guide, and protect us!