Solemnity of the Lord’s Resurrection
Gospel of Easter Morning
With hearts like empty tombs, three disillusioned disciples make their way to the site of Jesus’ burial.
Mary of Magdala comes to the tomb early in the morning “while it is still dark.” The light of understanding has not yet illuminated the dark recesses of her aching, abandoned heart. The emptiness of the tomb resonates within her desolate soul. Has she lost her Lord forever? Has their loving relationship been in vain?
Summoned by Mary, Simon Peter rushes to the tomb with anxious anticipation. Denial of his Lord is fresh in his experience. His empty heart seeks wholeness but only finds an abandoned burial place. Will he now lose hope of being forgiven? Has his following of the Lord all been for naught?
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| "Resurrection," St. Bonaventure, Detroit |
The “beloved disciple” enters into the darkness of the tomb as if drawn deeply into a mysterious life force. He sees beyond the physical evidence left behind. His heart begins to experience a spiritual illumination. Has his loving, personal relationship with the Lord enabled him to “see and believe?”
On this Easter morning, three disciples are drawn to the empty tomb, each approaching tentatively the vast unknown. As the first light of day begins to illumine the night, it gives way to the first glimmer of resurrection, the first ray of hope that all is not lost. Their own emptiness will gradually come to fullness as they begin to understand the everlasting life that emerged from the darkness of the empty tomb. This Easter day promise, hope and belief emerge from the darkness of the tomb as new Light enters expectant hearts. Alleluia!
Easter Blessings!
The author, Ms. Barbara Gawle, leads Bible studies at her parish, Incarnation Church of Wethersfield, CT. She is a CBS graduate and the 2012 recipient of the Biblical School's highest award, the Lawrence Boadt Memorial Medal.
