On the first day of the week, Mary of Magdala came to the tomb early in the morning, while it was still dark, and saw the stone removed from the tomb.
Happy Easter! Thank God the Lord has risen!
Yes, thank God that it is all true. Thank God that everything that Christ said and did was worth every drop of blood, every tear shed and every piece of flesh torn from his body.
What would life be without love? The same as that without a resurrection: a colossal failure - a glitch in an otherwise incredible adventure. But since God is love, then it is obvious that love conquers all things, including death itself. Here lies the great lesson of Jesus Christ: the more you love, the more you live. God is LOVE, and boy does He LIVE!
Christ’s resurrection cannot be taken out of context; that is, stripped of Salvation History and/or His very own passion and death. God forbid! Never! Otherwise, this event would be as meaningless as a leprechaun rising from the dead. The Lord’s resurrection is meaningful because it is tied to sacrifice and love.
Yes, as Christians, we know the Resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth defies human reasoning, but, with all due respect, so does the entire Christian faith! For to “Love your enemies” may actually be more shocking to our senses than God rising from the dead! And to “do good to those who harm you” and “seek those who betray you”, jolts our senses as much as forgiving someone seven times seventy-seven times.
Thank God for Christ’s resurrection! Thank God that God is love! Thank God that love and life have meaning! The Resurrection defies human reasoning just as much as life and love defy human reasoning!
Get Rid of That Boulder! On the first day of the week, Mary of Magdala came to the tomb early in the morning and saw the stone removed from the tomb.
The time has come for us to remove all stones that are keeping us away from Christ’s Way, Truth and Life. Even the Apostles had their “boulders” to remove. They were still seeking “the living among the dead.”
So many things need to be cleared away from our hearts and minds: fear, doubt, anger, resentment, frustrations, and even our very own sins. All these things can thwart our ability to “understand the Scripture that he had to rise from the dead.”
Religion is not something that people lean on when tragedy strikes. Rather, inspiration leans on tragedy just like it leans on observations. The empty tomb inspires man to dive into the mysteries of God, Love and Life. Let’s remove all obstacles from our path!
Last night at St. Monica, nearly 100 people entered into full communion with the Roman Catholic Church. After two years of preparation, these brave souls gradually chipped away at the boulders that were blocking their view of Christ, The Church, and the beauty of the Christian faith. They did it. They succeeded in discovering who they are and who God is. They succeeded in penetrating into themselves and peering into the life of Jesus Christ. They all took a look inside themselves and in the tomb and discovered both were empty. One discovery led to the other, and the rest is Salvation History!
The Lord has truly risen not only in His life, but in ours as well.
Heavenly Father, you taught us through your Son that to live means to love; to die means to give; and to rise means to forgive. May we, your servants, always trust in your Divine Will. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
100 people! I think we had a couple dozen at St. Joseph's.
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