Gospel Reflection Sunday March 31st 2024 – Easter Sunday

By Fr Brian Maher OMI

Gospel Reflection for Sunday March 31st 2024 | Easter Sunday

“…and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain, your faith also is in vain.” (1 Corinthians 15:14)

On this one verse from St. Paul, writing to the small Christian community in Corinth, rests our entire faith. This is not an exaggeration. If the Resurrection of Jesus from the dead did not happen, then not only did the life of Jesus end on the Cross, but so also did his message of love, forgiveness and healing.

Even more than this, if Jesus did not rise from the dead; if he died ignominiously on a Cross of shame, then the God of love he told us about also died on the Cross. If Jesus did not rise from the dead, then the wonderful Kingdom of God he spoke about – a Kingdom based on peace, justice and forgiveness rather than power, control and wealth was just a fantasy.

On that first Easter Sunday morning Jesus’ closest companions, hiding in fear from both the Jewish and Roman authorities, believed that it was over for them. There was no plan of succession, no discussion about how they might hold on to his message and use it to their advantage. There was no ‘plan B’. There wasn’t even a ‘Plan A’! There was only Jesus himself and he was dead.

The accusation often put forward by those cynical of Christianity, that the Resurrection was all a carefully hatched plan thought up by the Apostles to keep Jesus’ message alive is not borne out by any of the Gospels. Quite the opposite is true. When Mary Magdalene ran to tell them that the tomb was empty, there was no sound-bite ready to be rolled out. There was only blind panic and utter disbelief.

Peter and John set off immediately to check-out her claim. There was no discussion along the way as to what to do. They set off, running, to the tomb. John, obviously a fitter man, got there first and being more cautious than Peter, he paused and peeked inside the tomb. It was indeed empty.

Then Peter arrived, probably out of breath from trying to keep pace with John, and typical of his personality, he rushed straight in and saw that what Mary said was true – there was no body and the various grave cloths used in burial were still there.

We can only imagine the confusion, the rumours, the shock and the fear of those who were already deep in grief and loss. If someone had stolen the body then who?… and why? It made no sense that either the Romans or the Jews would take it. They wanted nothing more than clear evidence that Jesus was dead and gone, and a tomb with a dead body provided that evidence. They knew that nobody from their own small band of followers had taken the body. After all, Mary Magdalene was going to the tomb to ensure that his body was buried in accordance with the Law of Moses and all proper rituals.

In this context we can easily understand the last line of today’s Gospel, “…as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that He must rise from the dead.”

In this way began their journey to understanding and believing in the Resurrection. Exactly how long this journey took we don’t know. We are told that Jesus was with them for forty days before he ascended to Heaven. However, ‘forty’ was a ‘holy’ number for the Jews, being the length of time Moses was in the desert before finding the Promised Land. Therefore, the number ‘forty’ might well describe the ‘holiness’ of his presence with them rather than a literal number.

The truth is we have no idea how long their journey to belief in the Resurrection took. For some it might have been quick, for others longer and more difficult. It might be that Pentecost and the coming of the Holy Spirit was the culmination of their journey. We know that in Peter’s first preaching after Pentecost the Resurrection was central to what he said: “But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.”

We also know that from that moment the definition of an ‘Apostle’ became “a witness to the Resurrection.”  For instance, when the Apostles gathered to appoint a person to replace Judas, we are told, “So then someone must join us as a witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus…” (Acts 1:22) In another place we hear: “…And with great power the apostles were giving testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus.” …(Acts 4:33) or “God has raised this very Jesus from death, and we are all witnesses to this fact.” (Acts 2.32)

Easter Sunday morning was a beginning. Mary’s news that the tomb was empty, though not yet understood, was the first, tiny ray of light which would illuminate the Cross with new meaning, and begin a journey of hope, joy and new life which is the Resurrection.

Our journey as Christians is exactly the same. We ‘take up our Cross’ each day to follow Jesus. The Cross is real for all of us and we cannot, and must not, try to avoid or deny it. Like the Apostles on Easter Sunday morning we too will struggle to understand its meaning and, at times, it will seem to crush us.

But always Mary Magdalene dashes in and shouts, “The tomb is empty!” Then begins our next, and biggest, journey which ends with each of us being able to say with full confidence, “I believe, I know, that on the third day he rose from the dead.” (The Apostle’s Creed).

The question for each one of us then becomes, “how do I witness to the Resurrection in my life?”

When Pope Francis wrote, “…too many Christians look like they have just come back from a funeral!” We reflect frequently on the Cross and we talk of ‘bearing’ our crosses with courage and resilience, and so we should. But… how frequently do we reflect on the Resurrection in our lives? How do we ‘bear’ the Resurrection in our bodies each day? If we are to be Apostles for Christ in our world, Peter’s question is a very real one: How do I witness to the Resurrection each day?

How many of us, when we examine our conscience, think of the times and the ways, in our words and deeds, that we failed to be witnesses to the Resurrection?

I am not for one second suggesting that our journey to belief in the Resurrection is an easy one, or even a short one. Because it takes us into the realm of faith and mystery it cannot be easy. However, because something is difficult does not mean we should abandon it. Because something takes times does not mean it doesn’t matter or is not important.

When St Paul went to Athens, the centre of Greek culture, he spoke to the philosophers and learned men and he impressed them greatly with his talk about the God revealed in Jesus. They were on the point of accepting this ‘Jesus’ as the ‘Unknown God’ to whom they prayed until………until Paul talked about the Resurrection of Jesus from the dead.

Suddenly he lost them. They smiled and whispered to one another. Then they dismissed him. The life of Jesus they could accept. His message of love, forgiveness and compassion they could accept. His miracles they could accept. Even his death on the Cross they could accept as the lot of a just man. But the Resurrection they could not accept. It was the step too far. The point on the horizon beyond which they could not go.

If these learned men, who were always open to new ideas, could not even begin to countenance the Resurrection, why should we presume that we will be able to convincingly say each Sunday in the creed, “…on the third day he rose again from the dead…”?

We all know the story of Thomas, one of the twelve, who stubbornly refused to believe unless, as he said, “…I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side…” For Thomas, the journey to belief in the Resurrection was a difficult one.

St. Paul’s story of belief in the Resurrection came later and was more dramatic. He was thrown from his horse while still an unbeliever, and the Risen Lord appeared and spoke to him. Later in his life he described that event like this: “Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me…”

Remember, however, that after this dramatic event Paul was struck blind and spent some time in Damascus, praying and reflecting alone, until Ananias was sent to restore his sight and baptise him. Again, St. Paul had his own journey to make to belief in the Resurrection.

So what of us? What has been our journey to belief in the Resurrection? Can we remember the moment, incident, event, when we finally and truly could say with absolute confidence that, “…yes, Jesus did Rise from the Dead. I know he did.”

You see, the Resurrection is far too big, far too magnificent, to simply believe it as part of the ‘overall package of Christianity’. Surely we owe it to God – to ourselves – to take the time we need to reflect in prayer on this central belief of our faith.

Just as Paul made his journey ‘blind’ and ‘in the dark’, and Thomas had to overcome his stubbornness and ‘need for proof’, so too, our journey to belief in the Resurrection will make demands on us.

Ask me today, as I write this, do I believe in the Resurrection and I will answer, “Yes, I do.” Ask me the same question tomorrow or six months ago, or ten years ago or next month and I may have to say, “Yes, I do…I think!” or “Yes, I do…but it’s so difficult!” or maybe even, “I want to…but at this moment I can’t!

Any journey in faith must begin by recognising our own weakness and our own sin. The darkness, the blindness of Paul, engulfs all of us at times. The denials of Peter are present in all of us. The betrayal of Judas is also there in us.

Journeying to belief in the Resurrection means journeying with doubts, darkness, suffering, guilt and failure. They are all part of our journey, not there to prevent us believing or to tell us that our belief is in vain, but simply to say to us, “Just as you take up your Cross every day to follow Jesus, so you must take up the Resurrection every day to follow Jesus”. Sometimes, maybe many times, it is easier for us to witness to the Cross than to witness to the Resurrection. Now there’s a though worth reflecting upon!

Maybe the truth is that we will never ‘perfectly’ believe in the Resurrection. Maybe the truth is that the depth of love revealed to us in both Cross and Resurrection will always be beyond our understanding.

Thomas Merton had this lovely idea that knowing where we are going with God or how we plan out our journey with God doesn’t really matter. It is enough for God that we can say, “I desire to know you, to reach you, to follow you.” Maybe just our desire is enough. How comforting is that!

The Resurrection is a journey we must make each day. We must speak it, act it, think it, witness to it. As followers of the Risen Jesus we are called to point to the Resurrection happening all around us, because if Jesus did rise from the dead the Resurrection is happening all around us.

The last line of the Gospel today says of the Apostles, “… as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that He must rise from the dead.”

I wonder if two thousand years later the same might be said of us, that as yet we do not understand the Scripture, that He must rise from the dead.”

Have a truly blessed, peaceful and joyful Easter.

Many thanks,

Brian.

If you have any comments, questions or thoughts on this scripture reflection, please feel welcome to email me at b.maher@oblates.ie

Gospel Sunday March 31st, Easter Sunday | John 20:1-9

He must rise from the dead