Happy Easter!

I was so excited to find out that we have an early mass come Easter Sunday at church. I mean, not as early as 4AM just like at my hometown but it's quiet close. It is a sunrise outdoor mass at 5:30.

One of the fondest memories I had on Holy Week is the Easter’s Alleluia. Angels will be singing “Alleluia” on a 10-foot high man made stage. It’s always a blissful memory as our Dad will carry us to the location so early in the morning. There’s this particular little girl who sings like an angel, touching our hearts and leaving the whole crowd in great admiration. I can’t help but imagine the Easter story to be so real, so amazing! I’m always so mesmerized about the Easter story our Mom had told us. The superb story that until now had captured my heart with so much ecstasy.

“The next evening, when the Sabbath ended, Mary Magdalene, Salome and Mary the mother of James went out and purchased burial spices to put on Jesus' body. Very early on Sunday morning, just at sunrise, they came to the tomb. On the way they were discussing who would roll the stone away from the entrance to the tomb. But when they arrived, they looked up and saw that the stone - a very large one - had already been rolled aside. So they entered the tomb, and there on the right sat a young man clothed in a white robe. The women were startled, but the angel said, "Do not be so surprised. You are looking for Jesus, the Nazarene, who was crucified. He isn't here! He has been raised from the dead! Look, this is where they laid His body. Now go and give this message to His disciples, including Peter: Jesus is going ahead of you to Galilee. You will see Him there, just as He told you before He died!" The women fled from the tomb, trembling and bewildered, saying nothing to anyone because they were too frightened to talk.” (Mark:16)

The message of Easter is simple and clear: Life is stronger than death. Death has lost its sting and that we are all bound for glory. "But these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them." (Luke 24:11)

Christians believed that the resurrection of Jesus happened in a time and place in History. It is the core of each and every teaching of Christianity. Either we believe it or not, Jesus is risen! Death is a great mystery. If we believe it, then we can trust that every death will lead to a new life. It is in Easter mystery that we are reminded time and time again that the two things over which we have no power- sin and death- are not invincible powers. Jesus has broken the bonds of sin and disperse the darkness of death. It is in the beauty of Easter that we are reassured that life conquers death.

Happy Easter!