By Fr. Ed Liptak, SDB

At night in the Garden of Agony, Jesus was arrested at the hands of the Chief Priests and Elders guided by treacherous Judas. That unjust arrest brought Jesus to humiliation, suffering, and death on the Cross. And there in the gloom of the Garden, Jesus stated an awful truth: “When I was with you daily in the temple, you did not lay hands on Me. But this is your hour and that of the power of darkness” (Lk 22:53) The foul evil begun by Satan’s tools would, under a dark sky, bring Jesus to His sorrowful death.

However, the dark ‘hour’ of Satan and of those who thirsted sinfully for power and money was due to be shattered. Jesus, in His humanity, took to the Cross the immense burden of sin. Thus, He satisfied our debt of justice owed to God. But death for Him was temporary. So was the darkness of the tomb. By divine power, the stone blocking the light was rolled back. He was gone! Dawn revealed a new earth, for by the obedience of God’s Son, death was defeated, and redemption won. We were saved from the power of darkness. Jesus, by Godly power, was victorious over death and sin.

By believing in the Resurrection of Jesus, we are bathed in new light. Our first obligation is to accept God’s gift, the enlightenment of Faith. St. John stood gazing into the empty tomb, and he believed. Likewise, we are called to believe that Jesus was not there, for He had Risen. Beyond believing, we must also Hope in the word of Jesus that by avoiding the darkness of sin, we will reach eternal life. Hear Jesus: “Those who have done good shall go forth to the resurrection of life. Yet truly, those who have done evil shall go to the resurrection of judgment (Jn 5:29).

The Resurrection guarantees the truth of who Jesus is and that what He says is true. Again, hear Him plead that we abide in Him: “As the Father has loved Me, so I love you. If you keep my precepts, you will abide in my love”.(Jn 15:9-10). Furthermore, Jesus extended this kind of ‘Love-Charity’ also to the embrace of one another.

Believe in Him; Hope and Trust in Him; Love Him and neighbor, these are His precepts that bring us Joy. Jesus asks by His Passion, Death, and Resurrection that we shine to the glory of God.