Christ is Risen! This proclamation is at the heart of what it means to be a Christian. In fact, the very phrase, “Christ is Risen,” became the common way in which Christians greeted one another during the Easter Season. We do not say simply, “Christ rose.” That is because Christ’s resurrection and its power is as new and transformative today as it was on that very first Easter. Yes, we believe that Christ rose on a particular day and hour, but He “is risen” still today. The resurrection is a permanent state. Other past events lose something of their newness and personal impact with the passage of time. It takes effort to maintain the commemoration of other historical events. For example, there are often yearly commemorations of epic battles that changed the course of history. It is good to remember and honor those who fought such battles, but when those with living memory of those events die, the memory of the events also pass away. This is natural. It then takes a certain effort (a noble and good effort) to honor the memory of those events. The resurrection, however, is not like that. It is an event that began on a particular day and time, but the memory of that event did not pass away with the last of the apostles or of those women who went to the tomb. We come to Mass today—and in fact, every Sunday—not merely to try and keep the memory alive. We come to Mass each Sunday—and especially on Easter Sunday—because we are living in the resurrection. Christ is alive here and now. Christ is risen and we are caught up in that new life. Christ’s resurrection changes everything. Through faith, we live in newness of life here and now. The announcement, “Christ is Risen” is as new and as relevant this morning as it was two thousand years ago. The explosion of new life that happened on that day is still happening. That new life of grace—the life of the resurrection—begins in each one of us through baptism. It is the seed of immortality and a share in the new creation. In baptism, we become new creations and already begin to live in newness of life. The sacraments are the privileged instruments through which God communicates the new life that Christ has won for us. More and more, our life as Christians becomes a living proclamation that Christ is, in fact, Risen. More and more, Christ comes to live in us, transform us, and make us into new creations. A whole new way of life is now open to us. We aren’t merely reenacting something that happened two thousand years ago. No, we are living in that event here and now. That event of the resurrection is still happening. Whether you are here with us every week or if you have not been with us in a while, I want you to know that we love you and that you are welcome here. More importantly, I want you to know the most important and life-changing news possible: Christ is Risen! This is truly good news. It is news that has been changing lives for two thousand years. It is not old news. It is the news that never gets old. I hope today that you are able to hear this proclamation and be truly and thoroughly transformed. It is good news precisely for you. Christ is Risen! Your Brother in Christ, Fr. David Barnes