Gospel: John 21:1-19
In the Easter sequence, which we recite on Easter Sunday. we are reminded that in the Paschal Mystery, death and life contended in a fierce struggle, but life triumphed and our Lord now lives forever and calls us to share in this life that knows no end. Death, in some form or through some relationship, has touched all our lives but Jesus reminds us that death is not the final word but rather the passageway to eternal life. It would be nearly impossible to not associate our experience of death with the recent passing and funeral of Pope Francis.
In his final Easter message and despite his own approaching death, Pope Francis challenged us to remember that "we were not made for death but for life." We are an Easter people, a people of hope, a people of Resurrection.” But this is challenging as we struggle with grief. The disciples on the road to Emmaus knew this. Not only was their hope in Jesus’ Messianic ministry crushed as they witnessed Jesus scourged, humiliated, and killed, but they had lost a dear friend. Their sadness was very real and fresh, but Jesus was present to them in it. They just didn’t recognize this stranger who was accompanying them. Despite His patient explanation of Scripture, it was not until He broke the bread at the evening meal with them that they saw and understood. In his Easter, 2025 homily, Pope Francis reminded us that Jesus reveals Himself still today in our brothers and sisters who we meet along the way.
Jesus is alive and with us always! He is present with us in our grieving and during celebratory and ordinary times. It is in the Eucharist that we continue to recognize Him. In a letter to her sisters in 1993, Saint Teresa of Calcutta wrote, “If we look at the Cross, we see how much Jesus loved us then. If we look at the Eucharist, we see how much Jesus loves us now.”
May we not give into sadness but live in the hope and joy of the Resurrection and share that with others.
Happy Easter Season.
Sister Marcella Louise Wallowicz, CSFN
