EASTER VIGIL (A)

EASTER SEASON YEAR A

Easter Vigil [Mt 28:1-10]

08.04.2023

The Resurrection of Jesus

Readings: (1) Gen 1:1-2:2  (2) Gen 22:1-18  (3) Ex 14:15-15:1  (4) Is 54:5-14  (5) Is 55:1-11  (6) Bar 3;9-15.32-4:4  (7) Ez 36:16-28  (8) Rom 6:3-11

1.  Theme in brief

Encountering the Risen Lord and giving witness to him

2.  Focus Statement

We must discover the presence of the Risen Lord with the eyes of faith in the midst of our life-situations and among the marginalized and eagerly share that experience with others.

3.  Explanation of the text

To understand the background of to-night’s gospel passage, we need to go backward and read how Mary Magdalene and the other Mary follow Jesus up to his burial place and sit opposite to the tomb when Joseph of Arimathea closes it with a stone (27:61). Since the following day was Sabbath ( that is, Saturday, which is the day of rest for the Jews), they go home and wait to return to the tomb on “the first day of the week” at dawn (28:1) – a technical term for the Day of the Risen Lord (Sunday). Unlike Mark’s gospel, the purpose of their visit is not to anoint the body of Jesus with spices, but to “see the tomb” (28:1). It could also be to mourn for their departed Master out of love and devotion. This gospel text shows how the fervent love of the holy women for Jesus is rewarded with an apparition of the Risen Lord and a commission given to them to share their experience with the apostles.

The earthquake at the tomb and vision of an angel of the Lord descending from heaven, rolling the stone and sitting on it, symbolize the victory of Jesus over the forces of death (28:2).  The appearance of the angel like lightening and his clothes shining white as snow (28:3) are like a re-play of Jesus’ Transfiguration on Mount Tabor (again, symbolizing the glory of his resurrection). The angel of the Lord says to the women: “I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for he has been raised, as he said” (28:5-6). If he is not here in the place where they laid him, where is he then, where should they look for him? Now he has been raised from the dead; hence, he is not limited or confined to the place of his burial or his tomb. Since he has been raised from the deat by the Father, now he can break all barriers, walls, limitations and boundaries established by human beings. So they are to look for him in faith in any place or situation.

The women leaving the tomb quickly with a mixture of fear and joy symbolize their reverential fear at the presence of the Divine and their eagerness to share that experience joyfully with the apostles without any fear (28:8). They become the first witnesses of the resurrection and apostles to the other apostles. The testimony of women, though not accepted in Jewish circles, becomes credible and is valid till today. When the Risen Lord himself suddenly meets them on the way, their holding of his feet symbolizes the reality of the resurrected body of Christ which can be even touched. Their worship of him implies that now on, for all the ages, Jesus of Nazareth is to be worshipped as the Risen and Glorified Lord (28:9).

Jesus commissions the women to share their experience with his “brothers,” that is, the apostles and to tell them to go to Galilee where they will see him (28:10). In spite of their denials and failings, the Risen Lord affectionately calls the apostles “my brothers” (28:10). Galilee is the place where they had made a decisive choice to follow him while catching fish (4:18-22). It is also called “Galilee of the Gentiles” (cf. Mt 4:15) because of its mixed population of Jews and Gentiles. It was considered to be a land where people sit in darkness and ignorance (cf. Mt 4:15-16) in contrast to the pundits of Jerusalem. The Risen Lord goes ahead of his disciples to this Galilee where they will ‘see’ him (of course, with the eyes of faith, 28:7).

4.  Application to life

From the testimony of the resurrection given by the devout women, we come to know that those who ‘seek’ Jesus with the eyes of faith can encounter him in all situations. In other words, those who ardently love Jesus like the holy women and show their devotion to him both in worship and service to the afflicted or the poor as Jesus did during his earthly life, experience the joy of the Risen Lord’s presence. If we believe that he is alive, his presence cannot be reduced to the pages of the Bible or any religious book, or a statue in a church, or limited to the tabernacle in the church. He is no more in the tomb, no more a hero of the Bible. He is a living reality.

As the angel told the women, the Lord is not in the tomb where they had laid him. As he is risen from the dead, he is no more confined to one place or limited by space and time; he lives in all places and situations. He is no more confined only to church, worship, prayer and liturgy; not even to the limited space of our selfish desires. Where can we find him now? We can encounter and discover him in the midst of our lives through the eyes of faith -- in all our problems, struggles, crises, challenges, worries, dilemmas, difficulties, calamities, trials, risks, struggles, joys and sorrows, disappointments and frustrations. Yes, if we really believe this, we shall feel his presence as he walks with us in the valley of our tears, in our hardships, in our doubts and in all that happens to us. Because he lives, we can experience his peace in the midst of our disturbed and anxious minds, his providence in our deprivation, his support in our weakness and his outstretched arms in our faults, falls and failures.

The Risen Lord is truly alive in our hearts and in the heart (centre) of our world. Yes, the tomb is empty; we will not find him there. We will not find him where forces of death are at work; where a culture of death, violence and ‘might-is-right’ policy rules. We will not find him where greed, corruption and dishonesty rules. We are told that he goes ahead of us to the dark and ignorant regions – our present-day Galilees – to be present among the poor, the marginalized, and among those who struggle for life. Jesus tells us, as he told the women: “Go to my brothers and sisters and tell them I am a living reality. Go back to your homes, villages and towns, workplace, business, offices, factories and fields, that is, your ‘Galilee’”. He sends both men and women equally to be evangelizers. The role of woman as evangelizers or messengers of the Good News (that Christ lives) is as central to the mission of the Church as that of men. They were the first ones to whom the Risen Lord appeared and were commissioned to share their experience with the apostles.

Like the holy women, we have to touch his feet, get energized by our worship of him. Then run to the world and joyfully proclaim that he is risen. This encounter with the Risen Lord fills our hearts with such great joy that it overflows in our attitudes and actions. We have to quickly ‘run’, i.e. must be so eager to share with others our discovery or encounter with the Risen Lord. We are called to bear witness to the presence and action of the Risen Lord to all around us. The power of his resurrection is working in those who believe and accept him. That power can bring them back to life from spiritual death caused by sin, lethargy, insensitivity, loss of the sense of sin, tepidity and hardness of heart, etc. With the power of the Risen Lord we can win a victory over the forces of death as the angel symbolically pointed by sitting on the stone rolled away by him.

If our gaze is fixed only on the tomb, that is exclusively on material things and worldly concerns like money, ethnic loyalties, exclusive relationships, power, position and personal glory, and if we fail to see him beyond the ‘tomb’ built by our selfishness and attachment to these things, then he is no more living for us. If we live only for money, higher and higher status, more and more prestige, greater and greater income, and fail to see anything beyond this ‘tomb’ then we are ‘dead’. If we have no aim or cause to live and die for, then we die several times before we really die. Those who think that it is pointless to live and pointless to die are already ‘dead’. These tendencies and wrong attitudes are the stones, which block our vision of the Risen Lord or separate us from him. Sometimes the blocking stone could be either lack of faith, deep-rooted sin or hardheartedness, due to which we do not recognize him. Today’s gospel says, as the women went to see the tomb of Jesus, an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, rolled back the stone with which Jesus’ tomb was closed and sat on it (28:2). This is a symbolic message that calls us to roll away the obstructing stones (mentioned above) that block us, just as the angel did, with the power of the Risen Lord.

If we believe that Jesus is really living, others can notice it in our lives. After all, the fact of the resurrection was established by the effect it had on the lives of the apostles. The greatest proof of resurrection is the remarkable change that took place in them: they were fearless when they had all the reason to be afraid of even death; felt that they had all they needed when they had practically nothing. They were willing to die for no material gains like money or possession. Change and transformation, and not mere social celebration of Easter, is a sign that Jesus is alive. And transformation is too hard for all of us. Let us open our hearts to the action of the Risen Lord so that his power may break down the walls of selfishness, narrow-mindedness worldliness, aimlessness in our lives and make our hearts like unto his. Let us ‘seek’ him with the eyes of faith, as the women did. Let us recognise him as he speaks to us in the Scriptures and comes to us as our spiritual food in the Eucharist.

5.    Response to God's Word

Do we seek the Risen Lord in all situations? Do we feel that Jesus is risen in us and in the world we live? What are the effects of Jesus’ living presence on our life and behaviour? By what signs we can know that Jesus is really living and active in our homes, neighbourhood and the Church? Have we locked up Jesus in our narrow and selfish world? Do we ‘see’ Jesus among the poor and the marginalized? Is our total attention fixed only on our ‘tombs’? Do we allow the Easter Light to dispel the darkness of sin, and baptismal water to cleanse us from evil? What are forces of death that rule our life, over which we need to win a victory with the power of the Risen Lord?

6.  A prayer

Risen Lord, we believe that you are present in the midst of our lives and its problems. We believe that you walk with us in the valley of our tears and mountain of joy. You are truly alive in our hearts and in the heart of our world. You go ahead of us to our present-time Galilees and invite us to meet you there. Open our eyes of faith that we may recognize you. We worship you reverently and proclaim you joyfully. Grant that with your power we may win a victory over the forces of death. Amen.