He Is Risen: Wisdom from the Saints - A Catholic Reflection for Easter Sunday
The tomb is empty. Christ is risen. The Resurrection is not just the conclusion of the Paschal Mystery—it is the heart of Christian hope. This truth has echoed through every century, shaping the prayers, preaching, and witness of the saints. Today, as we celebrate Easter, we listen to their voices.
St. Ignatius of Antioch, writing as he journeyed toward martyrdom in Rome, reveals the power of Easter in his longing to share in Christ’s death and resurrection:
“He who rose for us is my one desire… Permit me to be an imitator of the Passion of my God.”
(Letter to the Romans, 6–7)
Ignatius recognized that the Resurrection isn’t just an event to be remembered—it’s a reality to be lived. We are invited to die to sin and rise to new life, sharing in Christ’s victory not only after death, but here and now.
St. Athanasius, a defender of the Incarnation, emphasized how the Resurrection affirms the full humanity and divinity of Christ:
“The Word took a mortal body, so that through death He might once more restore immortality to us.”
(On the Incarnation, 20)
Christ didn’t merely appear to suffer—He truly died and truly rose, and by doing so, destroyed the power of death from within. Easter proclaims that we were not made for the grave, but for glory.
St. Augustine reminds us that the Resurrection transforms how we live each day:
“Let us rise again in Christ, who rose for us. Let us give thanks to God, who has given us this great hope.”
(Sermon 229L)
To rise with Christ means to live as people of hope—people who forgive, who love without counting the cost, who radiate joy even amid sorrow.
St. John Paul II echoed this in our own age:
“We are the Easter people, and Alleluia is our song!”
This is the identity given to us in baptism. As we renew our baptismal promises this Easter, we remember that we are not defined by sin, failure, or fear. We are defined by Christ’s victory and His life within us.
At the heart of this celebration is the Eucharist. As St. Thomas Aquinas teaches:
“The celebration of Holy Mass is as valuable as the death of Jesus on the Cross.”
In every Mass, the Risen Christ is made present again. The Body once broken on Good Friday is now the glorified Body of the Resurrection—given to us as food for eternal life.
As the Easter season begins, let us walk with the saints who have gone before us, and let our hearts be set ablaze with the joy of the Resurrection. Like them, may we proclaim with faith and courage:
He is Risen! He is truly Risen! Alleluia!
In Christ,
Fr. Joe Connelly