Homily | April 6, 2026 | Stop Managing The Miracle And Start Moving (Episode 80)

We arrive on this Easter Monday, and there are two reactions to the resurrection in today's gospel.

They couldn't be any more different.

On one side, you have the women, they leave the tomb, scripture tells us, fearful yet overjoyed.

That's such a real line.

They don't have everything figured out.

They're not theologians.

They're not standing there with a clean explanation of what just happened.

They're overwhelmed.

And yet, what do they do?

They move, they run.

Because when something is real, you don't need to understand everything in order to respond.

You just go.

And then on the other side, you have the guards and the chief priest.

They also know something happened.

They saw the empty tomb.

They experienced the earthquake.

They know that this is not normal.

But instead of surrendering to the truth, they manage it.

They control it.

They pay for a different story.

They convince themselves of another narrative.

And here's the key.

They don't deny the event, they explain it away.

And that's right there.

That's the decision every one of us faces.

Not whether something happened, but what are we going to do about it?

Because the resurrection is not just an event in the past, it's a reality pressing on your life right here, right now.

And you have two options.

You can either run with it or you can explain it away so that it fits your narrative.

Now, if we go to the first reading, the Acts of the Apostles, and we'll be reading through this whole Easter season from the Acts of the Apostles, Peter stands up.

This is the same Peter who denied Jesus.

The same Peter who couldn't even admit he knew him, and now he's preaching publicly, boldly, clearly, courageously.

What changed?

Well, he encountered the risen Christ.

That's it.

No new personality, no special training, just one encounter, and everything changed.

And Peter says something that we cannot miss.

God raised him up.

It was impossible for death to hold him.

Impossible.

Not unlikely, not difficult, impossible.

Because life itself cannot be defeated.

Truth itself cannot be buried.

Love itself cannot be killed.

That's where this becomes very practical for all of us.

Because some of us are still living like death has the final word.

We carry things like they're permanent, forever.

That sin that you keep going back to, or even the sin that you've already confessed, but you keep dredging up.

That wound that still defines you, that situation you've already decided will never change.

And then Easter comes and says something different.

That's not truth anymore.

That's not who you are anymore.

But here's where I want to push you a little.

You cannot still choose to live like it's true.

You can't stand in front of the empty tomb and still walk away unchanged.

That's the danger.

Not disbelief, not indifference, trying to explain it away.

Saying, well, that's nice, but it doesn't really affect my life.

It's maybe it affects me for a moment here while I'm listening to this homily, but once I get into the real world, that's a different situation.

Well, the women didn't do that.

They ran.

And on the way, Jesus meets them.

Don't miss that.

He meets them while they're in motion.

Not when they had everything figured out, not when they had perfect clarity.

He meets them because they were moving towards him.

That's your takeaway today.

Very simple.

Move.

Take that first step.

One honest prayer, one return to confession, one act of forgiveness you've been avoiding, one decision to come back again this week.

Don't overcomplicate things.

Resurrection life begins when you stop standing still.

And then Jesus says something important.

Do not be afraid.

Because fear is what keeps people in the tomb.

Fear of change, fear of letting go, fear of trusting God again.

And then Jesus says, you don't have to stay there.

So on this Easter Monday, don't just don't just be in this fear of unchange.

Choose to move even imperfectly, even slowly.

You'll discover what they discovered.

The risen Christ doesn't wait at the end.

He meets you on the way.

That's Easter.

Something has happened right here, right now, and it's happening to you.

Make the decision to let it stick.

Happy Easter.