HOMILY  -  EASTER SUNDAY 2009
ST. ANTHONY OF PADUA CATHOLIC CHURCH
GREENVILLE, SC – 8, 10, 12NOON MASSES

May our Risen Lord Jesus give us confidence and peace.
He is Risen!  He is Risen indeed!

Called to testify, Panera bread, the spice girls.

Called to testify.  Peter speaks words from personal experience.  He tells what he has seen, and in this case Peter is filled with conviction and really good news.  He speaks about Jesus.  Peter says Jesus was visibly alive after His brutal death.  Peter is very convincing when he says, “We ate and drank with Him after He rose from the dead.  An unusual claim.
The good news?  Everyone who believes in Him will have forgiveness for their sins.

We don’t really testify much do we?  As Catholic people we rarely get up in someone’s face and lay it all down to win other people’s souls.  No doubt it is because we have so much work to do on our own souls.
But testify we must.  We have been as touched as Peter.  We wouldn’t be sitting here right now if we hadn’t been.  How has Jesus touched you?  Is He the only person who has been faithful to you?  Is He the proof you are lovable?  Is Jesus’ offering Himself hugely refreshing and inspiring to you?

If this is our experience, it ought to show up somehow.  Not street corner evangelizing, but by a life that brings fairness to environments, peace and understanding to arguments, and other-centered service.  Go ahead and testify like that.  You will be the salt on someone’s fries.

Panera Bread.  I enjoy the frontega pulled chicken panini sandwich at Panera.  Put that next to an apple or chips and a green tea and I am a happy man.   But what if Panera Bread ran out of yeast?  No bread in the house!   It would have to close. No panini.
St. Paul speaks to the Corinthians, a little yeast makes the whole batch of dough rise.  The news for Paul of Jesus’ rising from the dead is like yeast in the dough.  If we don’t believe in the Resurrection of Jesus – no panini.
There’s lots of ways to have no panini.  Walk into a room thinking about yourself.  No panini.  Find the bad in everything No panini.  
Think everything is going wrong – no panini. 
Blame everyone else but yourself - no panini.

Jesus Christ, the wholly other-centered man, the innocent one who took on Himself all humanity’s sin, the faithful one, now that’s a panini.  The next time you experience Grace, God’s Holy Spirit at work just out load,
“Now that’s a great panini!”  Alleluia!

Spice Girls.  No I’m not talking about the 90’s British pop band, I am talking about Mary Magdalene, Mary mother of James and Salome.
They brought spices to the tomb to treat Jesus’ body.  But as you know, the spice girls find the door of the tomb open when they get there.  Whaaa?  But get this, there is a young man in the tomb telling them Jesus has been raised ALLELUIA! and is on His way to Galilee.  The spice girls went to the disciples to testify to what they had seen.  But they were not believed.

There the disciples were in the upper room afraid, the spice girls did not impress these guys.   But soon they will be impressed.  Jesus is on the way.
Alleluia!

I think about the power you have been given regarding what you have witnessed, and I for one, long to see it make a difference.  I think about how the way you follow Jesus is a great panini – like yeast in this city.  You raise people from homelessness, from hunger, from hatred.  All rise!  Alleluia!

Our confidence in the Resurrection of Jesus from the dead has the capacity to roll some stony doors away from hearts that hurt.  Entombed humanity. Lots of people have no panini.  But not you, a little yeast and - Alleluia!