ALL SAINTS MARGARET STREET

Easter Sunday Evensong 2006

Fr Ivan Aquilina

Three small boys went to make their confession. The first told the priest, "I threw Peanuts in the lake." The second confessed to the same crime. So when the third boy knelt in the Confessional the priest, with a smile, said to him, "I suppose you threw peanuts in the lake." The boy answered, "No, no, Father, I am Peanuts, and I am still wet."

Dear old Father made a mistake that we so often commit, he took things for granted, made one plus one and got three. How easy it is for us to do the same and take for granted the glorious mystery of all mysteries that we celebrate today: the Resurrection. There is a real danger that we get so familiar with the idea of the resurrection that we forget how extraordinary it is.

In Apostolic times resurrection from the dead was unheard of. They would have found it frightening that a person could come back from the dead. Death to them was worrying enough; but at least the dead belonged in their own place, even if it was an eerie place, a world of shadows beyond the great river separating the living from the dead. The idea of a person rising from the dead would be to them very creepy and rather worrying. This explains the disbelief of the Apostles to the news of Christ’s resurrection. It helps us to understand how they could not comprehend Jesus’ words when he spoke to them trying to help them prepare for the resurrection. It helps us comprehend close followers of Christ like Thomas who refused to believe the other Apostles when they told him that Christ had appeared to them. There were recorded events of people who died and came back, but they, like Lazarus, died again. Jesus rose to die no more. This is just the tip of the iceberg there is so much more in the resurrection of Our Lord.

What we are about is earth shattering, literally. By his death he destroyed death and by his resurrection he gives us new life, new hope, death has no power over us, like Jesus, we are set free. Whatever sins we have committed, with him and in him we are able to shake them off. Before the Easter event we were slaves to sin, what we did could haunt us and lay a claim on us, today all those chains have been destroyed, if we want to, if we ask him our sins are forgiven and taken away, we can look to the future without hesitation. This is really good news, it is hope above all our wildest aspirations. This is love beyond compare. Today love’s redeeming work is done.

But there is something yet deeper. The resurrection does not only make possible for us the forgiveness of sins and a sure hope for the immediate future, it also opens for us the reality of life after this life. Christ destroyed all the phantoms that death made present. Through Easter death is another step of transition of life. We can now speak of fullness of life after this life which is only a mirror of the life yet to come.

We live this life as though we already are stepping on the shores of Jerusalem the Golden. This means that the order we give to our life needs to be reflected by the virtues that are cherished in heaven. In a world that likes to speak about values, values that change according to fashion and culture, we are to speak, and we need to speak loudly, about virtues. Virtues are qualities of the life of the blessed that we imitate and live therefore making the heavenly life, the Easter life, present in the here and now.

Let us look first at the hinge virtues upon which other virtues depend. Hinge virtues are known by their Latin name as cardinal virtues, the word cardinis means hinge. There are four cardinal virtues, these are: prudence, justice, fortitude and temperance. Cardinal virtues direct our lives in relationship to our neighbour and ourselves.

Prudence enables us to opt for what is good in the many choices that we have every day. When we choose what is good justice directs us to perform it and give God and our neighbour what is their due. Fortitude enables us to perform what is good when it is difficult. Temperance enables us to curb our human passions and so fight off our temptations. These virtues are acquired by our mastery of our own life in the light of God, our absolute good.

After these basic virtues there comes the three virtues known as theological virtues, these are the virtues that direct us to God. The theological virtues are: Faith, Hope and Charity.

Faith enlightens and expands the intellect by offering knowledge of supernatural truths. Hope directs our will towards God and His promises. Charity, that greatest form of Love, unites our being to God and therefore to those whom God loves so much. These virtues are not acquired but are given to us by God.

Cardinal virtues equip us to live life here in the light of the world which is yet to come. Theological virtues enable us to have an intimate relationship with God. These are made possible to us through the resurrection of Our Lord. Living the virtues is participating in the resurrection life. Living the virtues means allowing God to continue to sing His Easter song in our lives. Living the virtues is the continuation of the beautiful, earth shattering event of Easter. Living the virtues means that we will not take the Resurrection for granted. Living the virtues means that Peanuts will not be thrown in the lake ever again.