Homily: Octave of Easter - Thursday- Facing Reality

G.K. Chesterton once said, "When people stop believing in God, they don't believe in nothing -- they believe in anything." 

Our culture seems to be one long series of attempts to escape from reality, using alcohol, drugs, TV, promiscuity, video games, computer games, mind-games—a belief that anything can make you happy, anything except for Christian faith.  There is a terrible Denial, in the psychological sense of the word, which permeates our society. We deny the existence of objective truth, sin, and responsibility for our actions. Many pretend that they'll live forever and never face Judgment Day.

Pope Benedict wrote that Christian Faith in the Risen One is faith in something that has really taken place…faith stands on the firm basis of reality.”  So, the Christian faith is not about escaping reality by believing in stories that never really happened.  Unlike all other religions, Christianity believes that God became a human being. We believe that God was actually a baby, physically died on a cross, and was buried in a tomb. We also believe that Jesus rose from the dead — not just spiritually but bodily.

In today’s Gospel, when the apostles saw the risen Christ on the evening of His resurrection, "they thought they were seeing a ghost". Jesus showed He was real by showing them His hands and feet, inviting them to touch Him, and eating a piece of fish.  He said, “it is really me!” 

The truth of Jesus’ Resurrection, the fact that he really rose, he really conquered death, fills Christians with conviction and courage in witnessing to His Gospel in a world that seems to be happier with error and unbelief. 

During Easter we hear several accounts of the truth of Jesus resurrection breaking into people’s narrow understanding.  He breaks into the upper room, he breaks doubting Thomas out of his doubt into the greater realm of faith, he opens the eyes of many who do not see him clearly. 

We pray that this Easter season be a time of increased faith for our world so flooded with error and doubt and for all of us: for the glory of God and salvation of souls.