We do not err because truth is
difficult to see. It is visible at a glance. We err because this is more
comfortable. ~Alexander Solzhenitsyn: (1918 – 2008: was a Russian
novelist, historian, and short story writer.)
Gospel
Text: (MT 28:8-15)
Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went
away quickly from the tomb,
fearful yet overjoyed,
and ran to announce the news to his
disciples.
And behold, Jesus met them on their
way and greeted them.
They approached, embraced his feet,
and did him homage.
Then Jesus said to them, "Do not
be afraid.
Go tell my brothers to go to Galilee,
and there they will see me."
While they were going, some of the
guard went into the city
and told the chief priests all that
had happened.
The chief priests assembled with the
elders and took counsel;
then they gave a large sum of money to
the soldiers,
telling them, "You are to say,
'His disciples came by night and stole
him while we were asleep.'
And if this gets to the ears of the
governor,
we will satisfy him and keep you out
of trouble."
The soldiers took the money and did as
they were instructed.
And this story has circulated among
the Jews to the present day.
Easter is God’s way of saying that the
tomb is not the place for us. Easter means we are to be set free from all the
tombs of our lives, whether they are tombs of sorrow and grief, tombs of
anxiety and fear, tombs of injustice and diminishment, or tombs of feeling
unloved and forgotten. Indeed, the resounding message of Easter is that the God
who fashioned us from love and first gave us life wants us to know fullness of
life.
And yet, some will not only refuse to
hear this gospel message, but will also try to snuff it out. Like the chief
priests and elders in the gospel story, they will try to persuade us that
Easter is not real and there is no reason for its joy. They may even try to
shut us up in other tombs. But the power is not with them, it is with the risen
Lord. For people who take this wonderful truth to heart, there is no turning
back to the tomb.
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