Today we celebrate the most profound event in the life of Our Lord Jesus Christ, His Resurrection from the dead. This event is the very root of our faith. It is also the event which puts Jesus Christ, a man, beyond the limitations of time and space while having a glorified human body. As we enter the mystery we are challenged to believe without seeing Him.
Although Jesus had foretold HIs Resurrection to the disciples several times during HIs public ministry, it made no impact on them at all being beyond their imagination. Therefore when the women saw the empty tomb, “they did not know what to think” (verse 4). Two men “appeared at their side” (verse 4) showing that they were not left alone but neither were they confronted. In a very gentle way, they are then reminded of the Lord’s teaching that He would rise from the dead. At this stage, there is no reproach for not having taken heed of His words before He died. Further, it is only through their love and care for Him, their going to the tomb and what they experience there that leads them to believe in the Resurrection.
Similarly a devotion to Christ that moves us “at the first sign of dawn” (verse 1), while the world is still asleep, will lead us eventually to believe in the Resurrection. Are there experiences in our lives that puzzle us and lead us to be more convinced of the Resurrection? In Lourdes many pilgrims are puzzled by the strong faith and joy especially of the sick but also of their helpers which points to the Resurrection as it makes a greater dimension of life visible.
The women are asked why they are looking among the dead for one who is alive (verse 5). In this Gospel passage no one yet encounters the Risen Christ but the women do look for Him. Where do we look for Christ? It is not enough to read the Scriptures, theology or spiritual books as one would read history for even the greatest figures of history still await their resurrection. Witnessing the faith of fellow pilgrims in Lourdes, taking the trouble to get to know them may be an experience of there being more to life, an experience that points towards the Resurrection.
The women’s story “seemed pure nonsense” (verse 11) to the apostles. What appeared to be the triumph of evil in the Passion and death of Jesus was so overpowering that the message of the women even after Jesus had foretold His Resurrection still did no bring them to believe. They had encountered the full force of death. It is only when they had a personal encounter with the Risen Lord Himself, that they were overpowered by the God of life. Similarly, the darker our experience of the death of a love one, the more brilliant will be our experience of the Resurrection when the time comes.
Lord, may the wonderful event of Your Resurrection from the dead be more than an article of faith in my mind. Lead me to see, understand and accept the signs of the Resurrection that You place in my life. Further, lead me to experience and know You, the Light that will always banish the darkness of suffering and death.
Let us pray the Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory be.
1 av. Monseigneur Théas
