Easter Sunday, Year C, 31.03.2013

Today is the last day of the month of March.

For most of us, we may not think too much about the month of March.

Maybe nothing significant has happened for us during this month and so it is just another month passing on as time flows by.

But if something dramatic, something significant has happened to us that changed our lives overnight, then we will certainly remember the month of March in the year 2013.

One man who would certainly remember the month of March in 2013 is Jorge Mario Bergoglio.

For him, the month of March began by making a trip to the Vatican as one the 115 cardinals to take part in the conclave to elect a new pope for the Roman Catholic Church.

Before he left his homeland Argentina, he told his newspaper delivery vendor that he would see him in about 20 days time.

Yet during those 20 days, things changed so dramatically and significantly for him that he had to change his name from Jorge Mario Bergoglio to Francis!

And he also had to make a long-distance call from Rome to Argentina to tell his newspaper delivery vendor to stop the newspaper delivery because he won’t be coming home.

So probably on this last day of March, Pope Francis would be taking a moment to reminisce about what had happened that changed his life so dramatically.

And let us also pray that he won’t feel homesick and that he likes spaghetti and pizza.

Well, at 76 years old and having only one lung, he would have been thinking of looking forward to a quiet time and enjoying the golden sunset in Argentina.

And then this had to happen. Yet we also must remember that all things happen for the good of those who love God.

Yet it is not that easy to understand this spiritual truth that is found in Roman 8:28.

Even for the disciples that we heard about in the gospel, they failed to understand the teaching of scripture that Jesus must rise from the dead.

For us who are here to celebrate the great feast of Easter, we have the privilege of the revelation of the Resurrection.

But for the disciples, they had to deal with the trauma of the crucifixion and the confusion of the situation.

They saw the dead Jesus being buried in the tomb and now there is news that the tomb is empty! Jesus is not in the tomb!

So what could have happened? Was the body stolen? Where could the body of Jesus be now?

Simon Peter and the other disciple even went into the tomb to look for clues.

It does sound strange for the living to enter into the domain of the dead.

It is almost like saying that we want to take a nap in a coffin!

Jesus rose from the dead into a new life. And He wants us to rise from the past and into the new life of the future.

And here Pope Francis has a message for us. In his Palm Sunday homily he said this: Don’t let yourself be robbed of hope!

It was reported that after his election as pope, he broke tradition and declined the use of the papal limousine and he took the bus with the rest of the cardinals back to their quarters.

Then during dinner they toasted him, and he toasted the cardinals by saying: May God forgive you for what you have done.

Maybe he was just overwhelmed because he was an outsider and not in the running at all, and probably he was wondering if there was a mistake somewhere.

And all those massive problems – the fragmentation of the church, the sex abuse scandals, the squabbling in the hierarchy, the internal corruption – immediately fell on his shoulders.

Yet, Pope Francis did not set about to tackle or to rectify those problems immediately.

But true to his chosen name for his papacy, he set off in simplicity and humility, and in doing so he is helping the Church to rediscover her spirituality.

And he set off with those pair of old black shoes instead of the traditional red “Prada” shoes.

But it is not just about a break from tradition. It’s a setting of directions.

With a small gesture of wearing his old black shoes, Pope Francis is telling us that the Church must be for the poor and downtrodden.
His message is clear – never forget the poor.

For his pectoral cross, he continues to wear the iron one that he had been using since he became auxiliary bishop in 1992.

His “fisherman” ring, the symbol of his authority, is made of silver and plated with gold.

Instead of the popemobile with the bullet-proof glasses as a shield, Pope Francis opted for an open-air jeep and he said that he is protected by angels.

Another mark of his austerity that his fellow Argentineans heeded was the relatively small delegation from his native land. He had told his countrymen not to spend fare and hotel money for his inaugural Mass, but to donate the money to the poor.

Hence, only 19 Argentineans led by the President Cristina Kirchner attended the historical event.

So as we can see, Pope Francis is rising up the call and to the challenge to lead the Church in a renewed spiritual direction of simplicity and humility.

The Church may have entered into the tomb of problems, but Pope Francis is leading the Church to find life outside the tomb.

The month of March has been a dramatic and significant change for him and the Church.

Yet, he is not staying put and reminiscing about the past. He knows he has to keep moving and keep rising towards the Risen Christ.

And as he said: Don’t let yourself be robbed of hope!

Because all things happen for the good of those who love God.

As we join Pope Francis and the Church to celebrate Easter, let us also hear the call of the Risen Christ.

Yes, let us rise and move on in hope.

Let us move out of the tomb of our problems and failings and let us find life outside of the tomb.

The month of March has been an exciting month. The months to come will certainly be just as exciting, as we move and rise towards the Risen Christ.