He has risen! The Lord has risen indeed!

These are the words with which Christians greet one another throughout the world on this sacred day. They proclaim the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ and are passed from person to person, and from congregation to congregation throughout the land. They announce the victory by God over all the powers of evil and the darkness of death.

This glorious proclamation has been echoing down through over 2,000 years of history from that first Easter morning. Very early, with the rising of the sun, the faithful woman, Mary Magdalene, came to the grave and found that Jesus' body was no longer entombed there. Mystified, amazed, terrified, she turned from the sepulcher and there in the mist of the morning light she saw the risen Lord. She was the first human being to see and believe.

Jesus told her to go into Galilee and tell the disciples that He would appear to them. So it has been ever since--the disciples have been telling all mankind everywhere the glorious news that Christ has risen from the dead.

For over one hundred years now this glorious gospel has been repeated here at the altar of St. John's Chapel. We celebrate our Centennial this year- the 100th anniversary of the founding of this parish church. On June 16, we will commemorate this anniversary and we hope you will all be present for that wonderful occasion.

The Bible tells us that at the rising of the sun the faithful women came to the sepulcher. Have you ever noticed that in the very early hours of the day, at the moment the sun comes over the horizon, how long your shadow is? The other morning I was walking around the track at the Carmel High School, and when the sun appeared over the horizon behind my back, my shadow was almost as long as the football field. In a similar way, the risen Son of God casts His shadow over 2,000 years of human history.

Emerson once said that every great religious or social institution is simply the shadow of its founder. For instance, the Salvation Army, which does such wonderful work for those who are neglected by society, can be considered the shadow of its devoted and zealous founder, General William Booth. The institution of modern nursing, which we all benefit so much from, was founded by a marvelous Christian woman, Florence Nightingale. This ongoing ministry of faithful women and men can be looked upon as the shadow of that remarkable woman. The Franciscan Order, which we on this Monterey Peninsula know so well because of the missions founded by Father Serra, and to which art and architecture and music over the ages owe so much, can be seen as the shadow of the blessed Saint Francis. The Christian Church, which has spread all over the world with over a billion living members, is really the reflection and shadow of our founder, Jesus Christ. The risen Lord early in the morning with the sun of God's love behind Him, cast His spiritual presence throughout all time until the end of the world.

Sometimes, you may notice that the sun is obscured from view. Sometimes, clouds are in the way, and you cannot see your shadow. Sometimes, there is doubt and disbelief about the Truth of the risen Lord. Even some of the disciples disbelieved. "And when they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted."

However, Jesus promised and His word is not in vain. "And Jesus came and spake unto them saying, 'All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go into Galilee, and there shall you see me." What He is saying to you is to go into your daily life, whatever it may be, the Galilee of your existence, and the truth of Christ will come to you. If you are hoping, waiting, and praying, the assurance of faith will come to you, and you will believe.

This has been true all through the ages. First, it was Thomas who said, "Except I shall see in His hands the print of nails, and put my fingers into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand to His side, I will not believe." Jesus appeared to Thomas and he believed. Paul persecuted Him, and Jesus appeared to Paul and empowered him to preach the gospel to the gentile world.

The great reformer of the Church, Martin Luther, had no faith at all. He was filled with fear and trepidation until, while reading the scriptures, the truth of Christ came to him.

John Wesley, founder of Methodism, claimed that at first his heart was cold. He found no spiritual reality in the Anglican Church because at that time the clouds of disbelief were hovering over it obscuring the power of Christ. He reported that one evening he entered a little chapel in Aldersgate in London and heard the gospel being preached. He recalled that his heart was strangely warmed, and the truth of Christ came to him.

So, it has ever been. There are clouds that obscure the sun and sometimes we cannot see clearly. There are clouds in our lives of sorrow and fear and sickness that stand in the way of our knowing the presence of Christ. There are clouds that settle down over the Church in certain periods of history. Try as one might, we cannot see the risen Christ even in His own body, the Church. We know that even though there are clouds, even though there is obscurity of vision, above the sun is always shining. Sooner or later those clouds will roll away and we will see the sun once again.

So it is in our life of faith, on our religious pilgrimage. Soon those clouds will roll away and the glorious presence of Christ in His Church will shine forth with as much splendor and power as it has ever been in ancient times. The warm life giving presence of Christ in your heart will grow and grow. You will also, along with all the rest of the faithful, know the truth. The truth of the resurrection will bring you salvation.

I had a friend years ago whose wife and children came to Church, but he never did. He was a soldier, much decorated in World War II and in Korea. He was also an atheist. He was in charge of the enlistment section on one of the local communities. Every time I saw him he would joke about religion. This fellow came down with a serious illness. He developed a malignant cancer. When I visited him in the hospital I gave him a prayer book. He always had a marvelous sense of humor no matter what the circumstance, and one day he said to me in his bed of pain, "You know there is something in this prayer book that really isn't true," and he had a twinkle in his eye. I said, "What is that?" He said, "It says in here we brought nothing into this world, and we can carry nothing out. That is not true." I said, "What do you mean?" He said, "Well, what we can carry out is our faith in Jesus Christ." The spirit of Christ had opened his heart and mind to the truth of the resurrection. The shadow of our Lord's over-brooding and close approaching presence had, over time and space, reached down and touched him.

God gives to all of us who believe the power and presence of His Son. May you live by the life regenerating energy of the risen Christ. May you affirm this faith and go forth into your daily existence with confidence and with success because Christ has risen from the dead for you.