Sunday, April 12, 2020

Homily for Easter 2020

When was the last time you had someone intrude into something you were doing? How did you feel? We usually get upset when someone pushes their way in when they have not been invited to something. Whether it is a party-crasher, or just someone listening in to a private conversation, it makes us upset. There is an ancient reference by one of the Church Fathers that refers to Jesus as “the Holy Intruder”. This is not an insult to Him, but a reference to how powerful His work is.

Jesus, when He was born into the world, He was “intruding” because He is not a creature, yet He took on human flesh. When He raised from the dead, He was “intruding” into the normal pattern of death, because dead people usually stay that way. When He comes into our hearts, He is “intruding” because it is not in our fallen nature to allow someone to tell us what to do. Yet, in all these things, He is not an evil intruder, but a “Holy Intruder”. He comes to bring goodness and holiness.

When Jesus first stepped out of that tomb on Easter morning, He was intruding into a world that have never seen a genuine, eternal, resurrection body before. He was bringing something fully new, and that was our very salvation all wrapped up in Him Who is our Savior. Let us each approach Him today with humble hearts, recognizing that we each need Him to do some “intruding” in order to drive away our sin, and fill us with His grace and mercy. In doing this, we can each rejoice fully in His resurrection and what it means for us. He comes into our lives so that we can come into His life. In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.