OSF Reflection: Alleluia! He is Risen from the Tomb! Alleluia!

 

1st Reading: Acts 10:34, 37-43
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 118:1-2, 16-17, 22-23 
Second Reading: Col 3:1-4
Gospel: John 20:1-9

 

Reflection:  This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad, Alleluia! What a shock it must have been when Mary of Magdala found Jesus’ tomb empty!  Imagine, after Mary went to find Simon Peter and the other disciple whom Jesus loved, how they must have felt upon hearing the news. They took off running and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, ran faster than Peter, arriving first at the tomb. One can imagine the feeling you have when your heart sinks after discovering something shocking, especially after the events of the past week and having witnessed the brutal death and burial of the one you loved so deeply…and now, he’s not there!  They saw and believed, but did not yet realize what that empty tomb meant.

 

One can imagine how they must have felt as they returned home and as they spent time with the other disciples locked in the upper room: fear, grief, confusion, doubt, and ready to give up, yet full of hope and promise because they had faith.  As we reflect on this experience, what in our life feels like we are looking at an empty tomb? Perhaps it is fear of the unknown as we look at our future. The good news is that God is with us to give us strength as he was with the disciples.

 

What do we see when we find the empty tomb?  Do we lock ourselves up in the upper room? Like the disciples, let us leave the room and see with eyes of faith to believe in a future filled with abundant hope that the resurrection promises us.

 

Prayer:  God of love, thank you for the gift of love that you give us in Jesus.  Help us to see with eyes of faith, to feel with hearts of love, and to act intentionally so that we may live in the abundant hope of the resurrection as we make Christ present in the world.

Brother Joseph Bach, O.S.F.