Bishop Robert Brennan sprinkles holy water on the congregation after the renewal of baptismal promises during the 10:30 a.m. Easter Sunday Mass at St. Joseph Cathedral.
                                                                                                                                     CT photo by Ken Snow

Bishop Robert J. Brennan
Easter Sunday: ‘He is truly risen, alleluia!

The following is Bishop Brennan's Easter Sunday homily at St. Joseph Cathedral:

Christ is Risen! He is Risen indeed! Happy Easter!

Welcome one and all to the Cathedral of St. Joseph this Easter Morning! A warm welcome with gratitude for your understanding to those in our overflow in the undercroft and I welcome those who join us through our usual media of St. Gabriel Radio and livestream, but this year again I am very grateful to the local NBC affiliate, Channel 4, for broadcasting this Holy Mass.  

“Do you not know that a little yeast leavens all the dough? Clear out the old yeast, so that you may become a fresh batch of dough.”

It seems like a strange image for Easter Sunday, doesn’t it? But St. Paul is connecting us this Easter to the Jewish celebration of the Passover. You see, St. Paul would have been VERY familiar with the Passover customs of his day, which included clearing out all the old bread, all the old yeast in the household so as to be able to make the unleavened bread that recalled the hurried escape of the Jewish people as God rescued them from slavery in Egypt centuries before. The Passover traditions allowed God’s people to relive their liberation from slavery and the beginning of a new life, a life of freedom and a new identity as people consecrated to the Lord. (Cf Montgomery, Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture.) Leaving even a little yeast around will get into, corrupt, infect the new batch, and will spread so that you no longer have the unleavened bread necessary for the feast.

St. Paul goes on, “For our Paschal lamb, Christ has been sacrificed. Therefore, let us celebrate the feast, not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.”  

Hearing this today we are exhorted to get rid of the bitterness and malice that might infect our hearts, that we might celebrate today with sincerity and truth. Bitterness, anger, disappointment, guilt, hurts and wounds can certainly weigh us down. And let’s be honest, these can be very valid. We may be hurting with very good reason. But I have some news for you: CHRIST IS RISEN! Yes, Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead.  He has conquered sin and death.  There is no evil, no power stronger than He. Through his cross and Resurrection we have been rescued from slavery to sin and death and begin a new life, a life of freedom and a new identity as people consecrated to the Lord. His resurrection changes everything. So yes, get rid of the old yeast of bitterness, malice and wickedness and let yourself be formed into a new creation in Jesus Christ.  

We just heard the Easter proclamation of the empty tomb. Think of Jesus’ appearances after his Resurrection. Think of Mary Magdalene – in her grief she couldn’t get away from the tomb. The angel asked her, why do you seek the living among the dead? Think of the disciples locked in fear and doubt. They were wallowing in grief having let Jesus down, and let’s face it, what would become of their lives now? They felt let down themselves but by Him and by God.  
But Jesus makes his way through the locked doors and closed hearts with his message of Shalom: peace, conciliation, trust. He appears to Mary and calls her by name. And he wants to break through the things that weigh us down to give us life.  

On this Easter Sunday, we recall something past and something true – Jesus rose, but not just that. We celebrate the future – we too will rise and live forever, but not just that. We celebrate Jesus risen and alive today. He comes to us today to cast out the old yeast, to make us new, to give new direction and hope to our lives. Let us celebrate this feast then with sincerity and truth. For Christ our Passover has been sacrificed. He is truly Risen, Alleluia.   

Most Reverend Robert Brennan
Bishop of Columbus