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Throughout the Easter season, our first reading is often taken from the Book of Acts, which describes the life of the early Church, answering questions like:

How did they pray? How did they worship God? How did these direct descendants of Christ’s teachings put them into practice?

For example, today we hear, “The community of believers was of one heart and mind, and no one claimed that any of his possessions was his own” (Acts 4:32-33).

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“No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own.”

For example, Barnabas sells his property and lays the profits at the feet of the Apostles so that others who are poor, thirsty, and hungry might have a meal that night.

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In many ways, the Church has continued that call to deep generosity throughout the centuries.

We as an institution have started more hospitals, schools, orphanages, soup kitchens, and universities than any other group on the planet.

And you and I are challenged today to continue that tradition.

We don’t have to sell our property like Barnabas, but we do need to fight the temptation to be selfish; we must seek out ways to give ourselves away instead.

The only question is, how will you do that? How will you be generous today?

 

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Why are scary movies so popular?

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For example, how many of us remember Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds? Or maybe a young Christian Bale in American Psycho.

Then there was the classic film, Silence of the Lambs.

It still gives me the chills.

I remember, in particular, the basement scene, when Buffalo Bill turned on his night vision goggles and began his slow pursuit of Clarice, the young FBI agent.

Haunting.

But Stephen King’s thrillers take the cake.

Perhaps you’ve seen It or the newly released, Pet Sematary.

Not me. No thank you.

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Again, why do these movies consistently top the box office?

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Perhaps it’s because they play on a fear we all have – the fear of being pursued – pursued by someone stronger than we are.

Even kids play innocently on this fear when they’re on the playground.

For example, how many of us remember playing “hide-and-go-seek” or “tag, you’re it”?

That feeling of knowing someone else is in hot pursuit of us is chilling, making our heart pound.

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Conversely, there is no better feeling than knowing you’re safe.

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We see that age old fear of being pursued at work in the Gospel.

Thomas and the other disciples are hiding in a tiny room in Jerusalem, because they believe they’re being pursued.

“If the secular and religious authorities banned together to put Jesus to death, then they must be out for us,” they must have thought.

“Why not stomp out this newly formed Christian movement while it’s still small? The powers that be will crush us like an ant.”

And they were right.

Someone else is pursuing them.

Only it’s not who they expect.

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It’s the Risen Christ.

“Peace be with you,” Jesus says. “Do not be afraid, it is I.”

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For forty days and forty nights, Jesus pursues his disciples, appearing behind their closed doors, showing them he is not a ghost; their lives have not become some scary movie with a horrible ending.

Rather, they are safe – and so is Jesus. He is alive! He is risen from the dead!

But seeing the Risen Christ has come at a cost. They must share this good news with the world.

“Tag, you’re it,” Jesus says. Get to work.

The disciples are now the pursuers.

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And so are we.

Like the Apostles, we’ve have all had some experience of the Risen Christ, an experience that we must share with the world.

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I say this, in particular, to our young people who are going to receive their First Holy Communion.

Every time we celebrate the Eucharist, Jesus is present.

That’s why Holy Communion matters so much – Jesus enters your life – never to leave you again.

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But such an incredible gift comes with great responsibility.

Jesus is calling us no less than the twelve Apostles to share this good news of his resurrection – and the hope of our own – with the world.

That can be done anywhere from the playground to the dinner table. Wherever we go, we can speak of Christ’s victory over death.

It is his – and it is ours!

Tag, you’re it!

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Five days ago, the impossible happened.

The Cathedral of Notre Dame, located in the very heart of Paris, was engulfed in flames.

In less than an hour, 800 years worth of culture, history, and religious art was lost.

No one thought this architectural masterpiece, this fruit of Catholic devotion, would ever resemble a tomb – dark, dusty, emptied of its precious contents.

But there it was.

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That crushing image of Notre Dame engulfed in flames represents, in many ways, the state of our Church today.

We’ve been set ablaze – ablaze in scandal and indifference.

We’ve lost more than artwork; we’ve lost trust, and worse, disciples.

But just as Paris has pledged to restore Notre Dame to its original splendor, so we are invited this night to begin rebuilding the universal Church.

Doing so demands getting in touch with our original mission – the salvation of souls.

That mission began at the empty tomb.

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That first Easter Sunday, our Lord’s tomb looked just like Notre Dame does tonight – dark, dusty, emptied of its precious contents.

Only this was good news.

To the utter surprise of Mary Magdalene, Peter, and the other disciples, Jesus was no longer there.

He had risen from the dead!

Discovering that truth changed the direction of their lives.

They were no longer afraid; they were consumed with zeal, eager to share this good news of salvation with the world.

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So must we.

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As a Church, we’re called to embrace a “resurrection faith,” a faith that’s joyful and Gospel-driven, a faith that never gives up.

A resurrection faith changes people; it inspires them to take risks, to preach to the ends of the earth, to work for something greater than themselves.

It’s the same type of faith that drove generations of architects, sculptors, artists, and artisans to create the masterpiece of Notre Dame.

If you think about it, most of the people who worked on constructing that church never saw its completion.

Yet they dedicated their whole lives to working on it.

And when they could no longer lift another stone or brush, they handed on their work to the next generation, trusting that they would work just as hard with an equal sense of devotion.

They believed, in some small way, their labor brought glory to God.

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Can’t we see something of a bigger analogy here?

Our Christian faith began with Jesus, his twelve Apostles, and a small group of women who followed him faithfully.

After his resurrection, Jesus entrusted his mission to them. And he hoped that, when they could no longer travel or preach, the next generation would continue the good work they’d begun.

We are that next generation.

We are called to share the good news of Christ’s resurrection – and therefore the hope of our own – no less than the original Twelve, trusting that our efforts will contribute in some small way to God’s salvific plan.

Are we committed that mission?

Or does our own faith in Jesus and his Church need to be restored tonight?

Wherever we stand on our journey of faith, the message is clear: we must stand together.

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The story of Notre Dame reminds us that the most valuable thing in our world – that which is truly irreplaceable – is not some work of art.

It’s the faith that built it.

It’s that same faith handed down generation after generation that can rebuild our Church.

On this Easter night, may the Risen Lord come to our aid and strengthen us – not only to restore physical buildings – but also to restore our very selves.

For we are living stones– we are the Church, the Body of Christ on earth.