Sunday Reflections

We read in today’s gospel about a very human response of not only the disciples but the Apostles to the death of Jesus.  First Mary Magdalene goes to the tomb early in the morning so as not to be seen by anyone.  She if full of grief given not only His death but how he died.  Then seeing the stone removed from his tomb, she runs back to the others and frantically tells them what she saw.  Now two of His apostles run back, and in the tomb see His body is gone. 

There is no memory of His teachings about his resurrection, only shock and concern about what the authorities have done with His body. But then as one of disciples went into the tomb, “…he saw and believed; for as yet they did not understand the Scripture that he must rise from the dead”.  By rising from the dead, Jesus proved beyond a shadow of doubt that he has power over sin and death. 

How will we choose to react to this news as we can’t see the evidence with our own eyes?  Jesus so loved his Father, that He offered his life through a most excruciating death, to unite all of humanity from the beginning of humankind to us today, with God. With all the sin and evil in our world today we must not lose hope.  God has a plan.  Will we choose to offer our imagination to His thoughts, our hands for His work and our mouths to praise Him? 

The first reading sums up what is always front and center when we proclaim the good news up to and including His resurrection.   Our responsibility as His disciples is to, “preach to the people and testify that He is the one ordained by God as judge of the living and dead”.

And the second reading reminds us of what we can look forward to by being His faithful servants, “then (after our death) you also will be revealed with him in glory”.