"Greatest Win Ever!" - Easter Sunday Homily

Once again to those standing, we have uh Mass streaming downstairs in the hall.

Feel free during the homily to walk downstairs to enjoy a seat downstairs and also the video of the Mass playing out live.

Wish you and your families a very joyous and blessed Easter.

Everyone loves a winner.

That was the thought I had this past week when I thought, why do we have such big crowds on Easter?

We had them last night at the vigil, this morning, huge mass, today, we'll again tonight.

Because everyone loves a winner.

And this is the greatest win ever.

Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

He is the greatest winner ever.

Everyone loves a winner.

Today we win.

Amen?

Today we win.

It didn't look very good for a long time there.

We look like the losers.

I mean the apostles, the disciples, I'm sorry that's the way it looked, Reeve.

But then he rises and everything changed.

It's like the way it's changed for us to come to know Him.

We've come back to the team, or we joined the team.

We had 12 people join the team last night.

And there more people join the team than ever before.

In fact, as a result of last night I heard, there are more Catholics living now than ever before.

Which is the winning team, folks?

Team Jesus.

Catholic Team Jesus.

And it's a team that's growing.

It's a team that's winning and we play every week.

I don't know if you know this.

We don't play just a couple of times a year.

We play every week.

And one of reasons we play every week is because he's still playing.

Jesus Christ is the most valuable player.

He's leading the team.

He's inviting people to join him on the team.

I'm talking about the Eucharist.

That's the main reason we come every week.

Because the Eucharist is the current experience with the risen Christ.

The story I just read to you.

should be on your hearts and minds and mine every week.

coming from wherever we've been to the tomb.

In darkness, in sadness, in doubt, in fear, in despair.

Like the apostles and disciples looking like losers, they came to the tomb.

You and I came to church today, and everything changes.

We win.

Darkness becomes light.

Despair becomes hope.

Sadness becomes joy in Jesus Christ.

If you haven't experienced that, try it out.

I came to know the risen Christ in college literally steeped in suffering and in death, in tragedy.

And when I came to know him, it's like, wow, he's above all that.

The worst, most fearful opponent in the world, he's better than.

He transcends death.

He's greater than and wins victory over death.

I want to be on his team.

And I joined the team more fully.

and been.

there ever since.

I went from the stands to the field.

And not only joining the winning team, it's like the best athletes, they want to be on the winning teams.

They also want to excel themselves.

And that's what you and I have.

to be on Catholic Team Jesus.

The team that He formed, the way, 33AD, has been around ever since.

That's why we had people who were not Catholic become Catholic.

They were on Team Jesus as Protestants, but like, hold on, the first team I want to be on.

That's been the same team throughout.

It's the full team, the best that Jesus assembled, the most, especially with the Eucharist.

To be on the winning team week after week after week, even if you don't feel like it, whenever you and I enter these doors, we enter into victory.

but also we excel ourselves.

That's what Jesus promised, especially if you're going to play every week and eat his flesh and drink his blood, you'll bear much fruit.

That's a promise I can assure you happens.

As I said Thursday night to celebrate the priesthood, whatever you see in me as a priest is not me.

It's him through me.

And the way that I don't even know, I blacked out for the homily.

I literally, I had no idea what happened.

I think it was the Holy Spirit, I hope so, but it came out and people liked it, so I guess it was good.

But I said it just sounds like all the baptize.

Everyone on the team, it's not us, it's Him.

Can I get an amen?

Amen.

It's not us, it's Him.

Praise Jesus Christ, who from the dead.

Amen?

Amen.

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