HE IS RISEN

The Gospel account can make us realize the evil intent of the chief priests. We already know that they had a very strong influence on the people to have Jesus crucified. Repeatedly, throughout Jesus’ life, they were always harassing Him and seeking to do away with this “upstart” from Galilee. Now even the guards cannot convince the chief priests that Jesus has truly risen. Nothing was going to convince them; they had already closed their minds to the truth.

Can you imagine the guards stuttering their message to the chief priests? Earthquake. Angel. Lightning. No body. They were like dead men as they saw the angel move the stone from the tomb. They saw and they heard everything. Dumbfounded and utterly amazed, they were the first to evangelize the authorities. The chief priests, in their ignorance, bribe them with the use of money to cover up this so-called nonsense of a dead man risen. The bribe was taken and they, too, joined the chief priests in their wickedness. Matthew adds his comment to the reader that the story of the stolen body is circulated among the Jews to this day.

It is a terrible thing to close one’s mind to the truth. Nothing will convince one who has already made friends with ignorance. However, the fact is that Jesus has risen and, in this Easter Octave, we, too, have an opportunity to meet the risen Lord. He had not been stolen. He is truly risen! I am sure that as the women blurted out the story of the resurrection, there may have been closed minds. Women were a minority group in the Jewish society. They were often unnoticed and poorly attended. It is no wonder that Jesus’ kindness and openness caused many women to become His disciples. As the women came back that day to report all that had happened, I am sure their testimony fell on deaf ears. How can a dead man rise again? How can an angel roll away the large stone from a tomb? Had they, too, been bewitched? Had they been hallucinating? Was it only a figment of their imagination? Fr. Brian Steele, MGL

 

Reflection Question:

Do you feel like the women or the guards in today’s Gospel?

 

I rejoice in the wonder of Your resurrection. Help me, Lord, to live with this truth in my life. Amen.

 

St. Mella, pray for us.