The greatest comeback. Easter Sunday (A)

Christ lives! This is the good news! This is the greatest comeback in history!

The day of Christ's resurrection is a day of immense joy. Today is characterized by the joy that Christ has come back to life; our contemplation of Christ does not stop at the tomb, but goes beyond it. In the Gospel of today's liturgy we are placed before a tomb. Today, with Mary Magdalene, Peter and John, we stand before the tomb of Christ himself. We find the tomb, but not Christ. She declares: «They have taken away the Lord from the tomb and we do not know where they have laid him.».

Our Lord has found the way out of the tomb, and this is the reason for our joy. Christ has made the greatest recovery. Lazarus came out of the tomb, but then died; Christ rose again and destroyed death. The word «comeback» has become a universal term and has become popular in the world of soccer. It is true that some fans of certain teams claim «ownership» of the term; «comeback», but any fan of a team can have experienced a comeback of his team. Every comeback is accompanied by overflowing joy. The joy is immense. I remember a soccer commentator once describing a comeback victory as «the greatest comeback since the time of Lazarus». Some commentators have poetically and imaginatively described certain remounts in ways that have been immortalized. For any Christian it is easy to understand the reference to Lazarus. But, in reality, the greatest comeback since the time of Lazarus belongs to the resurrection of Christ. This is the GOAT of all remountings (GOAT is the acronym of «Greatest Of All Time», the «best of all time»).

Easter is perennial good news. It is a headline that never grows old. The resurrection of Christ never grows old because Christ lives. «yesterday and today and always» (Hebrews 13:8). Twenty centuries have passed and the resurrection of Christ is still relevant.

The novelty of this news of Christ's resurrection touches us directly. It shows us that a recovery is possible in our lives. Those situations that seem dark in our lives - our lack of faith, our lack of trust, our disappointments, our setbacks, our defeats, etc. The news that Christ lives shows us that we too can get back on our feet. We can always begin again; we are always alive in Christ. If we have any doubts, let us enter like John and we will believe again: «Then the other disciple also went in, the one who had come first to the tomb; he saw and believed.». 

Today we are called to believe in Christ's resurrection in such a way that it transforms us and gives meaning to our lives. As St. Josemaría Escrivá once said: «Christ lives. This is the great truth that fills our faith with content».