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I was glad when they said to me, "Let us go to the house of the LORD."
Psalm 122:1
"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth."
Genesis 1:1
"This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it."
Psalms 118:24
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And he shall direct your paths."
Proverbs 3:5
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Rector's Study
THE LORD IS RISEN INDEED
St. Matthew's Gospel tells of Mary Magdalene and another Mary going to the empty tomb on the first Easter Sunday. There, they encounter an angel who tells them "he has risen from the dead" and sends them to "tell his disciples." In response, "they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples."
The response of the disciples to the message sent to them seems to be one of faith. They obey the instructions the women deliver to them.
In St. Mark's account, Magdalene and the other Mary encounter "a young man... dressed in a white robe" at the empty tomb. He gives them much the same message as that of the angel of St. Matthew's Gospel. But the response of the women is not so joyful, nor so faithful. "They went out and fled from the tomb; for trembling and astonishment had come upon them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid."
The other disciples were deprived of the opportunity to receive the good news of resurrection by the women's silence.
According to St. Luke's Gospel, these two women went to the tomb with "other women," and they met, not an angel, nor "a young man," but "two men" who remind them of the teaching of Jesus concerning death and resurrection. They tell the apostles, not because they were instructed to do so, but apparently because of their desire to share the good news.
The response of the apostles was not enthusiastic. "These words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them."
The story of the empty tomb in St. John's Gospel is even more complicated and is followed by descriptions of various appearances of the Risen Lord to the disciples.
The response the Evangelist wishes to evoke in us, the disciples who read his words, is faith. "These are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name."
During this celebratory Easter Season, tales of an empty tomb continue to be told. Relatively few speak of encountering angels who tell them of Christ's resurrection. But many have heard "Christ is risen," proclaimed by a man in white or men in dazzling apparel, at least among those who attend services of the church. The great message of hope is one that all of us, like the women who went to the tomb, are called to tell to others. We may do so out of a sense of obedient faithfulness (as in Matthew) or in the spirit of the joy of sharing good news (as in Luke), but I pray none of us would fail to speak of our faith in Jesus because of fear of embarrassment (as in Mark) and this deprive others, by our silence or inactivity, of an opportunity to receive life in Christ's name. And there is great freedom in realizing we are not responsible for our hearer's reaction. They may rejoice to believe, but they could consider this "an idle tale." It is our joy to have good news, a gospel, to tell. We may not understand. We may be unable to explain. We may even struggle with doubts, but together, as those who are "marked as Christ's own for ever" and who share life in his sacred Body, the church, we boldly proclaim, "Alleluia. Christ is risen.
Yours in Christ,
Fr. Timothy P. Perkins  , SSC
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