“He is Alive”
Father Peter Fitzgibbons
April 19 – 20, 2025
Gospel: John 20: 1-9
1 It was very early on the first day of the week and still dark, when Mary of Magdala came to the tomb. She saw that the stone had been moved away from the tomb 2 and came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved. ‘They have taken the Lord out of the tomb,’ she said, ‘and we don’t know where they have put Him.’ 3 So Peter set out with the other disciple to go to the tomb. 4 They ran together, but the other disciple, running faster than Peter, reached the tomb first; 5 he bent down and saw the linen cloths lying on the ground, but did not go in. 6 Simon Peter, following him, also came up, went into the tomb, saw the linen cloths lying on the ground 7 and also the cloth that had been over His head; this was not with the linen cloths but rolled up in a place by itself. 8 Then the other disciple who had reached the tomb first also went in; he saw and he believed. 9 Till this moment they had still not understood the Scripture, that He must rise from the dead.
This summer I will have another birthday… hopefully. My brother stopped his seven years ago, and my twin brother has too. I have been debating whether to get a tattoo – maybe one with barbed wire and a skull. But at my age, perhaps a tattoo with my home address and phone number would be a better idea. I have been around. I may not look my age, and I certainly don’t act it. “Father, you’ve seen a lot and done a lot.” Yes. I can’t tell you much about it, but I have. If I did, I would have to kill you. It’s nothing personal, just business. “Father, what is the most interesting thing you have seen that you can tell us about without having to commit mass murder?” Well, I’ve seen people rise from the dead. “Really? Father, you better cut back on the meds.” No, I really have seen people come back from the dead and be restored to life. Not in the way Jesus rose (Matthew 28:5-6), and not in the way Lazarus (John 11:1-44), Jairus’ daughter (Mark 5:21-43), and the widow’s son (Luke 7:11-17) rose. No, not in that way. “Father, how did they rise from the dead?” Good question. Their souls were dead because of repeated venial sin or mortal sin. They were dead. They had no divine life in them. But they were restored to life through the grace that comes from our Lord’s Passion, death, and resurrection, which opened the Gates of Heaven, bestowed upon Mother Holy Church the means to effect resurrection, and gave the grace to wash away all sin from the soul, and return it to life. No matter how bad it is, all sin can be washed away.
The most powerful instrument ever known is the blood of Christ. Go back to the Passion on Good Friday, and we see the power of our Lord’s blood being poured out for us, drip by drip. I have seen many come back from the dead. Their lives are returned to them through Holy Communion. Does a resurrection happen? It sure does, every day. You would be surprised where it happens. People will say, “Father, may I talk to you?” Sure! This is usually what I do – I see the older, sicker patients in the hospital. I say to them, “Would you like to receive the Anointing of the Sick?” If they say, ‘yes,’ I say, “By the way, when was the last time you went to Confession?” I don’t ask if they want to go. I use an authoritarian tone and ask them when the last time was. It pushes them over the hump of fear they are hiding behind so that life can be restored to their souls, and they can spend eternity in Heaven with Christ.
This is the good news of the Resurrection: that Christ has died, and He is alive. He gives that life to the soul so that we can live for Him in this world and go to Him in the next. Eventually, we will get our bodies back, hopefully in better shape than they are now. When you have the divine life, what else do you have? Joy. Christ wishes to live in all of us. He made our souls for only one thing, and that is not sin. He made our souls a fitting resting place for Himself.
How will you apply this message to your life? _________________________________________
You can read all of Father Fitzgibbons’ sermons by going to AnnunciationCatholicAlbemarle.com, clicking on “Blog,” then “Categories,” and then “Sermon Notes.” On a cell phone: click on “Blog” and then “Menu.” Scroll to the bottom and click on “Categories.” Sermon Notes are also available on the Church’s Facebook page at OLA.Catholic.Church. Click on “Groups” and then “Sermon Notes.