People will come to church this Easter for a variety of reasons.

 

Some will come because they attend Mass every Sunday, and Easter is another Sunday.

 

Some might come because they attend church on major feast days, like Easter and Christmas.

 

Some might come because they are trying to get closer to God and to recapture a feeling of peace they once felt in their lives.

 

Some might come to please their parents.

 

Some might come because friends invited them to Easter Mass.

 

Some might come because it would not feel like Easter Sunday unless they did something religious.

 

But perhaps the underlying reason we will be there is that we believe in Easter. We believe in the Resurrection of Jesus. We believe that something wonderful happened that first Easter Sunday.

 

But why do we believe? There is no scientific proof of a dead body ever coming to life after a span of days. There are people of intellect and education far greater than our own, who dismiss the Resurrection as no more than wishful thinking or an allegory explaining that the teachings of Jesus did not die with his crucifixion. Outside of the New Testament, there are no recorded instances of the Risen Lord being seen by anyone.

 

We might reply that we believe, not because we have proof, but because we have faith. It was faith that enabled the "disciple whom Jesus loved" to enter the empty tomb and, as Sunday’s Gospel relates, "he saw and he believed" (John 20:1-9).

 

Yes, it is by faith that we accept the Resurrection of Jesus, but we also believe because we have experienced the presence of the Risen Lord. We have felt him with us in the gathering of his Church, where two or three have come together in his name. We have felt his words touch our hearts as we listened to the scriptures. We have felt the hunger in our souls lessened as we received his Body and Blood in Holy Communion. We have felt a sense of relief as our sins were forgiven by a priest acting in his name. We have felt his love from people who call themselves his brothers and sisters. We have managed to hold on to hope, even in the darkness, for we have felt his support and encouragement.

 

Yes, faith can give us a reason for our belief. But perhaps it is what our hearts have felt that is the greater reason for our belief in the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Maybe that is why the "beloved disciple," who saw the same things as Peter did, was the first to believe. He found his proof in what he felt in his heart.

 

© 2026 Rev. Thomas Iwanowski

 

BEST WISHES FOR A JOYFUL EASTER SEASON!