Easter Sunday - He Has Been Raised!

04-05-2026Pastoral ReflectionsFr. Wally Keymont

The month of March and the first few weeks of April is a time of mixture: crocuses and snowflakes, new buds and dry leaves. Crosswinds blow both cold and warm. In early spring, we are heartened by the coming of spring and the disheartening trek to H&R Block to submit taxes! March and early April is that in- between time when we are not quite sure. We are caught in the middle of seasons…do I put away the snow shovels or bring out the deck furniture?

This time of year resembles our lives – a mixture of both sorrow and hope. And like our lives, March and April tempts us to hedge our bets, but it also invites us to stretch our faith.

The stories of the first Easter people are stories of people who were at first, hedgers. We see Mary Magdalene, who is so tough, standing at the foot of the cross, but she is also hesitant as she sits outside the empty tomb and cries, “The Lord has been taken from the tomb! We don’t know where they have put him!” We also see Peter the Rock, who once told Jesus, “I’ll lay down my life for you.” But now he sits in the high priest’s courtyard, just a few feet away from his master’ torture. He is a man caught in the middle. When put to the test, he hedges, “I do not know this man.” Even in today’s Easter Gospel, we note the hesitancy of the Beloved John. Even though he beats Peter to the entrance of the tomb, John hedges. “He did not enter, but bent down to peer in.”

My friends, we too are called to believe in the power and presence of God, despite the hedging that still goes on in our lives and in our world. We are called to choose life, even when we smell death. We believe, not in spite of, but in forgiveness. We reject the Prince of Darkness and all those agents of death who refuse to believe in the possibility of new life. We are called to hug the powerless and welcome back to life those who were lost.

Even though it is early April, even though we are tempted to hedge, and even though our lives are full of ambiguity…let’s rise with Jesus to new life and choose as our song, a brand new Alleluia! And, finally, let us all wish Fr. Bob a Happy Easter and a speedy recovery.