Homily for the 3rd Sunday of Easter

When Pablo Picasso was a schoolboy, he struggled with math. One reason for this difficulty was that he perceived the number 4 as having a nose. To young Pablo, it looked like a protuberant nose hanging off its face. Whenever his teacher asked him to write the number 4 on the blackboard, he couldn't help but fill in the rest of the face, influenced by his vivid imagination.

If Picasso had been more restrained in his imagination, his math grades might have improved. However, the world would have lost the benefit of this great artist's remarkable creativity and skill. While everyone else saw a mere number, Picasso envisioned something more profound.

Just as Picasso viewed simple shapes through the lens of his imagination, the Risen Christ invites us to perceive our lives and the world through the unique lens of his Resurrection.

This perspective reveals that love can transform even the saddest and most traumatic situations, that there is always a reason to hope despite the enveloping darkness, and that every crucifixion on Good Friday is a precursor to the Resurrection on Easter.

When we view earthly life as an end in itself, we risk becoming cynical, losing hope, and neglecting to recognize God's presence in every aspect of our lives. Life then loses meaning, we become preoccupied with problems, and our vision narrows.

During these Great Fifty Days of Easter, let us strive to see our lives through the prism of Easter—the promise of the empty tomb that has the potential to recreate us and those around us in the life and love of the Lord.