EASTER

It is no surprise that it was Mary Magdalene who was first to come to the tomb that morning.

In the cold and darkness she went alone, on the first day, to the deserted place where they buried Jesus.

She love the Lord, because he had literally saved her.

Remember her story from Luke -

"The twelve were with him, as well as some women who had been cured of evil spirits and infirmities; Mary, called Magdalene from whom seven demons had gone out"

He told her to sin no more and she didn't. He told her to follow him and she followed.

 This was true encounter, powerful healing and transforming conversion.

We must not forget that she was not the only women to follow Jesus.  The passion narrative, we read on Palm Sunday names Mary the mother of James and Salome, we know that the sisters of Lazarus, Mary and Martha loved and served the Lord. There was Joanna, Susanna, and the wife of Chuza. Who can forget the Samaritan women at the well, and of course, there was always Mary the blessed mother of God.

These women and many others loved and followed Jesus, any from Galilee to Jerusalem.

They supported his ministry of the preaching of the Good News and now, each in their own way, was left broken hearted.

But now, (on that day) in distress and anguish, Mary of Magdalene went to where they had laid Jesus. She found ihat the stone was rolled back revealing the entrance to the tomb.

She did not think of the power of God which can move mountains. She did not think about the possibility of Jesus' resurrection. The risen Christ was still hidden and Faith had not yet come to her.

 In horror, which must of been as heavy as the cold dawn itself she ran to the twelve, whom she trusted, to Peter and the other disciple whom Jesus loved.

"They" whoever they might be: the enemies of Jesus, the temple authorities or the Romans themselves.

 She only knew that "they" must of taken him and then with tears she adds - we know not where.

We must remember that Mary Magdalene, as a women and as formerly demon possessed, would not be a very credible witness. It would be laughable.

So, why would the early church claim this to be the truth, if it were not.

Mary, as the first witness to the empty tomb was a powerful, personal account that was believed, remembered, and recounted orally by the earliest Christian communities until it was faithfully and lovely written down in the Gospels..

 Now, upon hearing, but not necessarily believing, her story, Peter and the unnamed disciple run to the tomb. We assume the younger of the two gets there first, but he does not enter. 

Is it in difference to Peter? or is it some unsettling expectation?

So Peter enters first (so like Peter to rush in) and he sees the evidence that the tomb was empty and that the burial cloth (the cloth of death) was still there.

Of course, the absence of a body does not mean a resurrection. There were more dreadful reasonable explanations and this was what Mary first thought and what Peter first thought.

But, if the body was stolen, would not "they" produce the body to discredit the resurrection story?  Or if the two disciples had made a simple mistake in the unfamiliar dark place  and gone to the wrong tomb, would not that mistake come to light.

The truth (whatever that was), could not be keep hidden.

 The Gospel is silent as to Peter's actual reaction or thoughts.

But, it is clear about the other disciple who enters the same tomb and sees the same evidence, but here scripture tells us, rather starkly "he saw and believed"

The great gift of faith, a foreshadowing of the understanding (Faith) the Holy Spirit would bring to them all.

 But, they did not understand, yet. They could not explain it, yet. The Spirit had not come upon them, yet.

Jesus, risen from the dead, glorified, as the Christ, was still hidden from them.

We know from the first reading that no such proof of a theft or mistake of location was ever produced.

There was a different kind of proof; the appearance of the Risen Jesus to Mary of Magdalene,

then to the twelve and then to many others. There was the sharing of the Holy Spirit, Jesus' Spirit, the Spirit of God, come not only to them, but let loose into the world.

And now, in truth and love, they believed.

 In the first reading we also hear what they came to believe - God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power. He went about doing good, for God was with him. He was put to death and was raised on the third day. He was made visible to us and he commissioned us to proclaim  this Good News.

  And they did proclaim it, as did our fathers and mothers, our brothers and sisters.

As the Church does to the ends of the world, as we do, by our very lives, everywhere and anywhere we find ourselves..

Christ has risen, alleluia, alleluia.

 By his dying and rising again he destroyed death and gave us new life.

By rising he destroyed the darkness of fear and despair that haunt the human condition.

By rising he brought us redemption and salvation.

By rising he gave us Hope, here and now and for eternal life to come,

and he gives us a blessing on those who believe without seeing.

By rising he sends us off to do as Jesus did –

to go about doing good for God is also with us.

Easter is proof of all we believe.

Christ has risen, alleluia, alleluia.