"Greatest Happiness You'll Ever Know" - Easter Sunday Homily

On behalf ot Deacon Ted and our entire staff here at Visitation Parish I wish you and your family a very blessed Easter.

Thank God it's Easter.

Let's be real.

Thank God after 40 days of Lent and the tough days of the Passion, the end of Holy Week, thank God He's risen from the dead.

If we really went into it and felt it during Lent and got into Holy Week and walked with Him through His Passion, we rejoice today.

Not just because we don't have to fast anymore, but because He has risen.

And last night we started Mass in darkness for the vigil for like an hour.

And to symbolize life before Christ.

But also think about those three days he was dead.

And all of us who have experienced a loved one dying, how dark that is.

And for Jesus, it was like a savior.

He's not who we thought he was.

He died, he was an imposter, we're still waiting for a savior.

And then the lights come on, he's risen from the dead, it's a story you just heard in the gospel, and everything changes.

Everything changes from that darkness to light, from the sadness to joy, from despair to hope, in eternal life.

I think we can treat Easter a matter of factly.

We get into Lent, we get into Holy Week, and then Easter is like, okay.

I hope someone at one point in your life asks you about this.

If you're really a disciple of Christ, each one of us should be asked

What is the matter of fact that Jesus is risen?

What are the facts?

Why do you believe it?

What's the evidence?

And not just to be matter of fact about this, but thank God he rose, which is unprecedented, unheard of, unimaginable, impossible.

It's like going to a funeral and the person comes out of the casket.

What?

That's Jesus coming out of the tomb.

Now you and I weren't there.

It's 2025.

Why do we believe this?

Why do we celebrate with such joy after going through the depths of sadness the last 40 days?

What is the evidence?

If someone asks you, do you believe in the resurrection, point to the evidence from the gospel first and foremost.

We now have a parish podcast.

It's a lot of fun.

I make a pretty big fool of myself, but it's all good.

We do a little teaching.

It's all worth it.

And last Wednesday's episode, we went through that evidence, the empty tomb, the witnesses, the burial cloths His risen body.

That's why the first Christians believed and they passed it on, they passed it on now, all these years later, and so much in between.

But I might still be in the matter of fact range with you.

So let's get a little bit closer to home.

Around us.

Evidence that Jesus lives.

Recently, two women from our parish had lunch.

And they were swapping healing stories.

I go to lunch, I talk sports.

I might talk wordel.

They're talking healing in Christ.

And each of them had had a stomach affliction for many years.

And they individually came to me and I placed the Eucharist on one of their stomachs.

And the other, I think each of them, I had to drink the Lourdes water, miraculous water through Mary.

Healed.

And the one woman was telling the story of a Bible study the other night.

And there's 15, 20 people around the table.

And they all started telling healing stories from here.

Now before you think I have healing power, I have zero miracles before I was a ordained priest.

Zero.

And tons or many, many since Thanks be to God.

It's His power, not mine.

But that power shows

He lives.

Holy Thursday, beautiful night with the Eucharist, the Last Supper of Jesus, the Institute of the Eucharist, changed the church, changed our lives.

And I was raving about our start to the Adoration Chapel we just built.

Six weeks in, amazing stuff already.

People hearing the voice of God for the first time, experiencing deep peace, healing.

Time flies in that chapel.

as with a good friend.

Well then after Mass we had the traditional procession of the Eucharist through the church and then we went all way down to the chapel and every person had seen at Mass 200 people

walked in procession to the new chapel in the youth center.

The chapel was built for like 20 and they were lining the halls waiting their turn quietly, calmly, patiently-ish to get in.

And within half an hour, everyone made their visit.

that that experience for any of us it was it was evidence.

How could 200 of us be dupped like that?

to lay out the evidence of the teaching and the institution, the practice, the tradition, the miracles, etc.

They want to see for themselves.

I have not had anyone come to me since Thursday or in four years saying, Father, this is a hoax, man.

You're way off base.

More than usual about this Eucharist thing, it's the opposite.

When we learn and when we know, we go.

Now interestingly, there were two young boys walking in procession I've never seen this before.

Because everyone's like, you know, steer clear of the priest.

Give the priest his space.

I'll get way back.

These two boys under 10 brothers walked right next to me, holding Jesus.

The whole way, and I said, keep walking.

Now again, said, the priest said something, get away, get away.

And I said, keep walking with me.

So they walked, and we go into the chapel, and it's crowded.

I said, come all the way up front.

That was awesome.

That's another evidence for us, our youth.

That was in the youth center.

We've had add space.

We have youth coming and singing our choir beautifully, practicing so diligently, serving.

We have three-year-olds learning in this atrium about Jesus for an hour every week, and they love it.

We have our high schoolers who came up with the idea of blessing bags.

You're stopped with red light, someone's coming to you to knock your window for help.

You give them a bag and say, bless you.

That was for our teenagers.

And those are Jesus' people.

He doesn't have favorites, but he kind of does.

He said the kingdom of God belongs to the young ones.

They're showing us the kingdom.

His kingdom is real and it's alive.

Amen?

It is alive, folks.

He is alive.

I've seen it in you from day one.

The spirit of this parish, with joy, with love, with peace, with generosity,

It's evidence to me Christ lives through you.

And then the Spirit itself, the Holy Spirit leading the church in all this is evidence.

It's the Spirit of Christ.

When we come to know the risen Christ, it is the greatest happiness on earth.

It's the greatest happiness you're gonna ever have.

And I hope that you have experiences or you will experience this, especially during Easter.

If you don't, beg Him for it.

Demand Him for the happiness of the apostles, the disciples, the saints.

Demand him to give you a share in that happiness, just even a taste.

And I'll ask him to for you.

I'll tell him you deserve it.