Sunday, April 20, 2014
AN EASTER REFLECTION
AN EASTER REFLECTION / HAPPY EASTER!!!
The passion and death of Jesus initiated a process through which the old
order was passing away and a new was dawning.
At the death of Jesus Matthew reports that many strange events took
place: darkness, earthquake and holy people rising from their tombs.
Similar events occur in Matthew's story of the resurrection of
Jesus.
"Towards dawn on the first day of the week", the women who had
stood firm through the tragedy of the Cross, Mary Magdala and the other
Mary go to visit the sepulcher of Jesus. The setting of the following
events "towards dawn" on the first of all Easter Sundays
promises the reader that the women will find more than a sepulcher. A
new light is breaking into the darkness of the night.
For a moment the women on their journey are forgotten, as a series of
"end-time" events are reported as happening at the tomb. In a
way similar to the events surrounding Jesus' death on the Cross,
there is a violent earthquake. An angel of the Lord descends from
heaven, rolls away the stone and sits upon it. Through his angel, God
enters the story. . The description of the angel "his face was like
lightning, his robe white as snow" adds the terror of the moment and
the guards, collapse to the ground like dead men. At the cross the
Gentiles came to faith in Jesus, here the guards are part of the
description of an anticipated "end-time".
The angel speaks to the women, assuring them that they need not fear.
They need no longer search for the crucified one. He has been raised.
The tomb, the place of death, is empty. However, it is not enough simply
to gaze in awe at an empty tomb. The women are commissioned to carry the
Easter proclamation to the disciples: "Go quickly and tell his
disciples, `He has risen from the dead, and now he fore you into
Galilee, it is there you will see him."
The women recognize they have been touched by the action of God: it is
the reason for their awe. They are also filled with great joy at the
privilege given to them. But on their way back to the disciples, the
risen Jesus meets them and they fall down and cling to him. He greets
them, and repeats almost exactly the same message as the angel,
commissioning the disciples to go into Galilee. However, there is an
important difference. While the angel told them to speak to Jesus
disciples, Jesus himself refers to them as my brethren. It is not failed
disciples who must go to Galilee; it is a group of people who once again
belong to the family of Jesus.
Earlier in the Gospel the disciples had forsaken Jesus and fled. All
such failures have now been forgiven. The broken bond has been healed.
The resurrection of Jesus has completed the turning point of the ages
which began with his death. Now the women are filled with joy; now the
sinful disciples are restored to the family of Jesus. Shortly he will
indeed meet them in Galilee, to send them out to the whole world.
May Easter lead us to awe and joy as we recognize the greatness of our
God who raised his Son to life that we too might have life, no matter
how often and how seriously we have fled from Him.
By Fr. John Cef Ledesma
-- The passion and death of Jesus initiated a process through which the old
order was passing away and a new was dawning.
At the death of Jesus Matthew reports that many strange events took
place: darkness, earthquake and holy people rising from their tombs.
Similar events occur in Matthew's story of the resurrection of
Jesus.
"Towards dawn on the first day of the week", the women who had
stood firm through the tragedy of the Cross, Mary Magdala and the other
Mary go to visit the sepulcher of Jesus. The setting of the following
events "towards dawn" on the first of all Easter Sundays
promises the reader that the women will find more than a sepulcher. A
new light is breaking into the darkness of the night.
For a moment the women on their journey are forgotten, as a series of
"end-time" events are reported as happening at the tomb. In a
way similar to the events surrounding Jesus' death on the Cross,
there is a violent earthquake. An angel of the Lord descends from
heaven, rolls away the stone and sits upon it. Through his angel, God
enters the story. . The description of the angel "his face was like
lightning, his robe white as snow" adds the terror of the moment and
the guards, collapse to the ground like dead men. At the cross the
Gentiles came to faith in Jesus, here the guards are part of the
description of an anticipated "end-time".
The angel speaks to the women, assuring them that they need not fear.
They need no longer search for the crucified one. He has been raised.
The tomb, the place of death, is empty. However, it is not enough simply
to gaze in awe at an empty tomb. The women are commissioned to carry the
Easter proclamation to the disciples: "Go quickly and tell his
disciples, `He has risen from the dead, and now he fore you into
Galilee, it is there you will see him."
The women recognize they have been touched by the action of God: it is
the reason for their awe. They are also filled with great joy at the
privilege given to them. But on their way back to the disciples, the
risen Jesus meets them and they fall down and cling to him. He greets
them, and repeats almost exactly the same message as the angel,
commissioning the disciples to go into Galilee. However, there is an
important difference. While the angel told them to speak to Jesus
disciples, Jesus himself refers to them as my brethren. It is not failed
disciples who must go to Galilee; it is a group of people who once again
belong to the family of Jesus.
Earlier in the Gospel the disciples had forsaken Jesus and fled. All
such failures have now been forgiven. The broken bond has been healed.
The resurrection of Jesus has completed the turning point of the ages
which began with his death. Now the women are filled with joy; now the
sinful disciples are restored to the family of Jesus. Shortly he will
indeed meet them in Galilee, to send them out to the whole world.
May Easter lead us to awe and joy as we recognize the greatness of our
God who raised his Son to life that we too might have life, no matter
how often and how seriously we have fled from Him.
By Fr. John Cef Ledesma
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