DOMINGO DE PASCUA (2025)

Queridos hermanos y hermanas, hoy celebramos con alegría la Pascua del Señor, que quiere decir que Jesucristo ha resucitado y ESTÁ VIVO Y PRESENTE en medio de nosotros, que la muerte ha sido vencida por él y que por lo tanto, nuestro miedo a ella ya no tiene ninguna razón de ser porque la Vida Eterna que viene de Dios Padre prevalecerá por siempre. Celebramos el amor sin límite del padre que entregó a su hijo a la muerte para la salvación de todos. Comencemos esta reflexión compartiendo algunas preguntas.

¿A dónde quieres ir tu cuando mueras? ¿Cómo te has sentido como ha muerto un ser querido? ¿Te gustaría encontrarte con ellos en el cielo? ¿Te gusta llegar a tiempo o tarde a misa? ¿Has corrido alguna vez más deprisa para llegar a tiempo a la Iglesia o para ir a rezar?

El Evangelio de hoy nos invita a ir de prisa y corriendo con María Magdalena, Pedro y Juan al sepulcro para descubrir que Jesús ya no está enterrado allí. La Tumba Vacía es una prueba de la Resurrección del Señor, porque a través de este acontecimiento, los dos discípulos comprendieron lo que Jesús les había dicho antes de morir: "Que al tercer día resucitaría de entre los muertos", pero más importante que esto, fue la experiencia de encontrar a Jesús vivo en sus vidas y la motivación que esto les causó para ir a contar al mundo la Resurrección de Jesús.

El Apóstol Pedro nos dice que ellos han sido testigos de la Resurrección del Señor y que fue el propio Cristo quien los constituyó en sus testigos y los envió a predicar en su nombre. San Pablo nos recuerda que al ser bautizados con Cristo hemos resucitado con Él, por eso nuestra tarea es buscar los bienes de arriba, es decir, experimentar aquí en la tierra los bienes del cielo, viviendo nuestra vida según Jesús y no acomodándonos a este mundo y sus valores

Queridos hermanos y hermanas, hoy se nos invita a entrar en la Pascua del Señor, que significa comenzar una nueva vida con Él, reconociendo lo que nos dice el Apóstol San Pedro, que todos los cristianos bautizados estamos llamados a ser testigos de Dios en nuestras vidas, llamados a mostrar al mundo la bondad que viene de Cristo, a ser misericordiosos con los demás y destello de luz para nuestras familias, compañeros de trabajo y el mundo.

Hoy reconocemos que Cristo ha resucitado y ha vencido a la muerte. Por tanto, el mal y la violencia no tienen poder sobre Él. Al contrario, es Dios quien tiene poder sobre el mal y la muerte. Estamos invitados a resucitar con Cristo, a dejar que Dios vaya delante de nosotros, a permitirle ser la Luz que guía nuestros pasos, para que podamos abrir el corazón y la mente al perdón y a la misericordia, para tratar a nuestros hermanos y hermanas con afecto y amor, para hablarles con buenas palabras a los que están cerca de nosotros y a todos los que encontramos en el camino de nuestra vida.

La resurrección del Señor, es una invitación a ser honestos en todo lo que hacemos, y hacer el bien a los demás aunque el costo sea un sacrificio para nosotros. Jesús nos pide que hagamos lo correcto aunque otros hagan lo contrario: que digamos la verdad aunque otros digan mentiras; que permanezcamos fieles aunque otros sean infieles; que busquemos la paz aunque otros busquen la guerra; que perdonemos aunque otros sigan guardando rencor en sus vidas; que seamos una luz de misericordia en medio de las tinieblas de odio que cubren la tierra; que defendamos la vida aunque otros hagan todo lo posible por destruirlas quieren.

Queridos hermanos y hermanas, como Pedro y Juan, que corrieron al sepulcro para ver a Jesús, nosotros estamos invitados hoy y siempre a correr al encuentro de Jesús en nuestra vida cotidiana. Pongamos nuestra esperanza en Aquel que está "sentado a la derecha del Padre" y está dispuesto a interceder por nosotros. Elijamos siempre los valores que vienen de lo Alto. Felices Pascuas de resurrección

P. Luis Segura M.S.C.

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EASTER SUNDAY (2025)

Dear brothers and sisters, today we joyfully celebrate the Lord's Passover, which means that Jesus Christ has risen and is alive and present among us, that death has been conquered by him, and therefore, our fear of it no longer has any reason to exist, because the eternal life that comes from God the Father will prevail forever. We celebrate the boundless love of the Father who gave his Son to death for the salvation of all. Let us begin this reflection by sharing some questions.

Where do you want to go when you die? How have you felt about the death of a loved one? Would you like to meet them in heaven? Do you like being on time or late to Mass? Have you ever run faster to get to Church or to pray?

Today's Gospel invites us to rush with Mary Magdalene, Peter, and John to the tomb to discover that Jesus is no longer buried there. The Empty Tomb is proof of the Lord's Resurrection, because through this event, the two disciples understood what Jesus had told them before he died: "That on the third day he would rise from the dead." But more important than this was the experience of finding Jesus alive in their lives and the motivation this caused them to go and tell the world about Jesus' Resurrection.

The Apostle Peter tells us that they were witnesses of the Lord's Resurrection and that it was Christ himself who appointed them as his witnesses and sent them out to preach in his name. Saint Paul reminds us that by being baptized with Christ we have risen with him, so our task is to seek the things above, that is, to experience the things of heaven here on earth, living our lives according to Jesus and not conforming to this world and its values.

Dear brothers and sisters, today we are invited to enter into the Lord's Passover, which means beginning a new life with Him, recognizing what the Apostle Saint Peter tells us: that all baptized Christians are called to be witnesses of God in our lives, called to show the world the goodness that comes from Christ, to be merciful to others and a flash of light for our families, coworkers, and the world.

Today we recognize that Christ has risen and conquered death. Therefore, evil and violence have no power over Him. On the contrary, it is God who has power over evil and death. We are invited to rise with Christ, to let God go before us, to allow Him to be the Light that guides our steps, so that we may open our hearts and minds to forgiveness and mercy, to treat our brothers and sisters with affection and love, to speak kind words to those close to us and to all those we meet along the path of our lives.

The resurrection of the Lord is an invitation to be honest in everything we do, and to do good to others even if it means a sacrifice for ourselves. Jesus asks us to do what is right even if others do the opposite; to tell the truth even if others tell lies; to remain faithful even if others are unfaithful; to seek peace even if others seek war; to forgive even if others continue to harbor resentment in their lives; to be a light of mercy amid the darkness of hatred that covers the earth; to defend life even if others do everything possible to destroy it.

Dear brothers and sisters, like Peter and John, who ran to the tomb to see Jesus, we are invited today and always to run to meet Jesus in our daily lives. Let us place our hope in the One who is "seated at the right hand of the Father" and is ready to intercede for us. Let us always choose the values ​​that come from on High. Happy Easter.

Fr. Luis Segura M.S.C.

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CHRIST IS RISEN, ALLELUIA! ALLELUIA!

Many writers have evoked the beauty of starlit nights. On this night, let us allow the women of the Gospel to lead us by the hand, so that, with them, we may glimpse the first rays of the dawn of God’s life rising in the darkness of our world. As the shadows of night were dispelled before the quiet coming of the light, the women set out for the tomb, to anoint the body of Jesus. There they had a disconcerting experience. First, they discovered that the tomb was empty; then they saw two figures in dazzling garments who told them that Jesus was risen. Immediately they ran back to proclaim the news to the other disciples (cf. Lk 24:1-10). They saw, they heard, they pro-claimed. With these three verbs, may we too enter into the Passover of the Lord from death to life.

The women saw. The first proclamation of the resurrection was not a statement to be unpacked, but a sign to be contemplated. In a burial ground, near a grave, in a place where everything should be orderly and peaceful, the women “found the stone rolled away from the tomb; but when they went in, they did not find the body” (vv. 2-3). Easter begins by upsetting our expectations. Yet tonight the Lord wants to give us different eyes, alive with hope that fear, pain and death will not have the last word over us. Thanks to Jesus’ paschal mystery, we can make the leap from nothingness to life. “Death will no longer be able to rob our life” (K. RAHNER), for that life is now com-pletely and eternally embraced by the boundless love of God. True, death can fill us with dread; it can paralyze us. But the Lord is risen! Let us lift up our gaze, remove the veil of sadness and sorrow from our eyes, and open our hearts to the hope that God brings!

In the second place, the women heard. After they had seen the empty tomb, the two men in dazzling garments said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen” (vv. 5-6). We do well to listen to those words and to repeat them: He is not here! Whenever we think we have understood everything there is to know about God, and can pigeonhole him in our own ideas and categories, let us repeat to ourselves: He is not here! A Christianity that seeks the Lord among the ruins of the past and encloses him in the tomb of habit is a Christianity without Easter. Yet the Lord is risen! Let us not tarry among the tombs, but run to find him, the Living One! Nor may we be afraid to seek him also in the faces of our brothers and sisters, in the stories of those who hope and dream, in the pain of those who we suffer: God is there!

Finally, the women proclaimed. What did they proclaim? The joy of the resurrection. Easter did not occur simply to console those who mourned the death of Jesus, but to open hearts to the extraordinary message of God’s triumph over evil and death. The light of the resurrection was not meant to let the women bask in a transport of joy, but to generate missionary disciples who “return from the tomb” (v. 9) in order to bring to all the Gospel of the risen Christ. That is why, after seeing and hearing, the women ran to pro-claim to the disciples the joy of the resurrection. Let us celebrate Easter with Christ! He is alive! Today, too, he walks in our midst, changes us and sets us free. Thanks to him, evil has been robbed of its power; failure can no longer hold us back from starting anew; and death has become a passage to the stirrings of new life. For with Jesus, the Risen Lord, no night will last for-ever; and even in the darkest night, in that darkness, the morning star continues to shine. [Synthesized from Pope Francis Homilies 16 VI 22]

Rev. Jos Rajesh Peter M.S.C.

Easter 2025

Happy Easter, my friends.  ¡Felices Pascuas!  This is the day the Lord has made !    Let us rejoice and be glad !  Alleluia !!

What a surprise Mary Magdalene was in for !  Moved by love – she  went to the tomb to complete the burial preparations.  This would allow her to see Jesus again – embrace him one last time – and say 'goodbye.' 

This was that same love that led her to follow Jesus throughout Galilee and Judea – all the way to Calvary.  It's no wonder St. Thomas Aquinas called her "The Apostle of the Apostles…"

On that very early morning – she had no idea that this was the dawn of the most important day in history. She had no idea that she would be the first witness of Jesus' Resurrection.  If we were to read few more verses after today's gospel – we would read that Peter and John left the tomb.  But Mary stayed at the tomb – heart-broken and weeping…

And –  as she was weeping – she turned around – and Jesus was standing there.  He looked at her and said:  "Mary."     Wow…..

On that day – the perspective of history was completely turned around:      Death gave way to life – a life that dies no more.

On that day of Resurrection – that first Easter Sunday – Mary Magdalene’s world turned from darkness – to Light.  From sadness to joy.  From death to new life.

That’s what we celebrate today, my friends – new life !

Now, most Christians consider the Resurrection of Jesus as the greatest miracle ever.

Yet none of the gospels give a description or account of Jesus rising from the dead.  Rather – all four of the gospels begin the Resurrection story – with the empty tomb – and the challenge to believe. 

It wasn’t until the disciples experienced the risen Jesus that they began to understand that the significance of the Resurrection was victory over death.  Victory over evil.

The Resurrection of Jesus confirmed that all the evil plots against Jesus – the killing of Jesus by the religious leaders – could not stop Jesus’ message of love and goodness.

We see this in our First Reading with Peter, whose life was filled with darkness when he was afraid and he denied Jesus.  He ran away and hid.  Peter is now standing up publically – speaking out against evil – because he experienced the Resurrection of Jesus – and victory over death and evil.

My friends – we each experience the Resurrection of Jesus in our own way.  But the common thread is the promise Jesus once said to Martha:  “Whoever believes in me will never die.” 

Jesus is risen.  He is alive and with us today – right here – as we celebrate his Resurrection…

Talk about Good News !

Happy Easter, my friends…