The Easter message: Live without fear

By Klysha Best

Easter is not merely the sentimental sequel to Christmas; it is the very centre of the Christian mystery, according to Archbishop Charles Jason Gordon.

He made the statement during his Easter Sunday homily at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, which was filled with the scent of incense, the sound of the ‘Gloria’, and of course, the faithful.

He challenged the congregation to let the Resurrection transform how they live, how they face suffering, and how they respond to the darkness that so often dominates the national conversation.

“It is because of Easter that the birth makes sense,” Archbishop Gordon said. “It is because of Easter that we believe that this world and all it contains is just one passing phase. That there is something far more powerful, something far greater, something more majestic than all that we have in this current age.”

The Archbishop turned to a surprising piece of evidence to illustrate the power of the Resurrection: the Shroud of Turin.

Recent scientific studies, he noted, have dated the linen back to the time of Jesus, and the pollen grains found on it match what would have been present in first-century Jerusalem. But more strikingly, modern technology has revealed that the image on the shroud is actually a negative, a photographic imprint.

“Scientists are now saying that there was this intense burst of light that was brighter than anything that could have been produced back in that time,” Archbishop Gordon said. “It was so bright that it burnt onto the cloth the opposite of what it was.”

He drew a direct line from that burst of light to the first words of Genesis. “On the first day of the week, God said, ‘Let there be light.’ And there was light. If God could bring light out of the darkness that existed, how much more so could God bring light and life out of the dead body of Jesus Christ?”

But the Archbishop quickly moved from the miraculous to the practical. The Resurrection, he insisted, is not just an event to be believed, it is a reality to be lived.

“The power of evil is fear,” he warned. “When we are afraid, we do not do what is right.” He pointed to the everyday choices that betray a lack of Resurrection faith: giving in to children who push toward wrongdoing, repeating negativity on social media, complaining about the country, despairing over the news.

“How often do we add to all the negativity that is going around? Just pass it along on Facebook. Pass it along on WhatsApp. How often do we do that? As opposed to saying, ‘He is not in the tomb anymore. He is alive, and I will not be a creature of negativity anymore’.”

He offered an observation about Trinidad and Tobago. “We live in a beautiful country,” he said. “But we also know that we live closer to the graves and the tombs than we live to the Resurrection light.”

The Archbishop noted how quickly citizens repeat and amplify the negative, how often despair becomes the default tone. The call of Easter, he said, is to break that cycle.

“To live in the Resurrection light is to recognise that doing the right thing, because it is right, is joining ourselves with the risen Christ. He did the right thing because it was right. He paid the ultimate price, but He had the ultimate reward.”

Perhaps the most powerful section of the homily came when the Archbishop addressed the fear of suffering and death. “Why are we afraid of suffering? Because we are creatures of habit that love our comfort and love to live in comfortable ways. And what has Jesus said? Anyone who wants to be a disciple of mine, let them renounce themselves, pick up their cross, and follow me.”

The reward, Archbishop Gordon insisted, is not in this world alone. “The Resurrection says to us that there is something far more powerful, profound, beautiful than anything that we will ever experience here on Earth. There is a life after this life.”

He stated, “To live with the Resurrection light is to live without fear. They might harm my body. They might assassinate my reputation. They might do things to me that are terrible. But I know my redeemer lives. And I know that He will raise me up on the last day.”