Easter Sunday The Resurrection of the Lord

Today's Mass Readings

Alleluia! Christ is Risen! Today Reading do not fail to proclaim as undoubtable truth the truth of the Resurrection of Jesus. Yes! The Resurrection is the central truth of our faith. As St. Paul proclaims, “And if Christ has not been raised, then empty [too] is our preaching; empty too, your faith.” (1 Cor 15:14) Without the Resurrection, one might view Jesus as only a philosophical figure and the Gospel message as a collection of moral exhortations. With the Resurrection, we view Jesus and his Gospel message in a very different light. The Resurrection confirms God’s intervention in human history and transcends man-made philosophical structures by providing us with a new life in God’s grace. In the first reading from Acts, we find Peter providing a summary of Jesus’ ministry, and stating, unequivocally, that “This man [Jesus] God raised on the third day and granted that he be visible . . .” (Acts 10:40). Peter encounters this fact for the first time in today’s Gospel reading. As the reading from John informs us, Mary Magdalene approaches Jesus’ tomb early in the morning, while it was still dark. She discovers that the stone had been rolled away from the tomb and that Jesus’ body was no longer in the tomb. Upon hearing news of the empty tomb from Mary Magdalene, Peter and John ran to the tomb to find only the burial clothes remaining, and we are told that John “saw and believed.” (Jn 20:8)

Although we are aware of the risen Christ’s appearances after the events described in today’s Gospel reading, I try to imagine the scene of the empty tomb and the burial clothes, which are arranged in such a way as to cause the disciple to believe without any further explanation. In contrast, for others at the tomb, the unveiling of the Resurrection will require additional events and experiences. For some, the gift of faith is almost immediate, for others it requires an unveiling that will take a little longer. Perhaps, when we are dealing with others that are at different points in their journey toward Christ, we should recall that even Mary Magdalene and Peter, after traveling with Jesus and staring into the empty tomb did not immediately grasp the fact that the Resurrection had occurred.

No matter where one finds themselves on their journey towards Christ, Easter is a time to grapple with what the Resurrection means to us. It is a time to contemplate what we are going to do with the new life that was provided to us through Christ’s Resurrection.

- John Sperino