On the first day of the week,
Mary of Magdala came to the tomb early in the morning,
while it was still dark,
and saw the stone removed from the tomb.
John 20:1
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In the same way we begin each Easter Vigil liturgy, on that first Easter morning, everything begins in darkness. Mary Magdalene goes to the tomb while it is still early, carrying the darkness of grief and confusion. She expects the coldness of death. Instead, she finds the stone rolled away. After she brings this surprising but shocking news to John and Peter, they run to see for themselves. Like the sunrise on Easter morning, the empty tomb slowly reveals its meaning: Jesus is Risen because death could not hold him. What strikes me is that the Resurrection narrative is revealed to us gradually. First, John sees the burial cloths and begins to believe, not because he understands everything, but because he recognizes the signs of God’s work. (See John 20:1-9.) Growing in our faith begins this way for us, as well. We step out of darkness from places that seem empty or unresolved, and God invites us to notice small signs of life, grace, and hope that overturn our expectations. The Gospel reminds us that the Resurrection is not only a moment in Jesus’ life, but in ours as well. Whatever tombs of darkness we carry within us—fear, sin, discouragement, or sorrow, Christ enters them first. The stone is rolled away not by our strength, but by his. Today we are invited to run, like Peter and John, toward the places where God is at work. We may not fully understand what we see. But Easter joy and new life is born when we believe that Christ has gone ahead of us, that life is stronger than death, and that his love continues to rise in the dark places of our lives. Happy Easter! Jesus is Risen! Alleluia!
Publisher, Living Faith |
