Be NOT Afraid!!

 "We don't know where they put Him!" John 20:2

As a woman I can imagine myself 

in Mary Magdalene' place. 

I would not have had a good sleep...

who could, after seeing someone you love crucified! 

I would have asked others to walk with me 

to Jesus' tomb early in the morning,

 just as I walked to where my mother 

lay in her coffin at 4 in the morning. 

It was very dark and all I wanted was to be with her,

 just one last time. 

So I can fully understand Mary. 

 Perhaps she wanted to pour out her fears, 

her sorrow, her dashed hopes, despair even.

But because Mary went, she is given a gift. 

She does not know what it means at first. 

Sometimes, even most of the time, 

God's gifts are shrouded in mystery. 

And like all gifts, there is an anticipation

,a hope, then a revelation. 

We only realize its significance, 

its worth, when we stay close, 

trusting, and we ponder like Mary, 

the mother of Jesus. 

She whose heart was pierced, 

"treasured all these things and 

reflected on them in her heart." (Luke 2:19)

The revelation of Easter, Resurrection Sunday, 

is not something we should keep for ourselves. 

Like Mary Magdalene, after unwrapping the gift 

and realizing its value, we should go out and share it with others. 

 "This is what I found out! HOPE is alive! 

All Jesus said was true! IS true! ALL His promises!"

Because Jesus rose from the dead, as He said He would, 

we should go back to ALL He said and live 

the way He said we should live, 

so we can have ALL He promised we could have! 

Thank you Lord for this absolutely marvelous awesome gift!

 "Do not be afraid.

Go tell my brothers..." Matthew 28:10

This is the first time Jesus calls His disciples,

His brothers.

And he says to Mary Magdalene,

"Do not be afraid," because there is a very real danger

for Jesus' followers.

The men were evidently in hiding.

After all, their leader was just killed

for His subversive teachings!

 Today, even when there is no physical danger

for believers,

sometimes it is hard for us to be brave

and tell others about what we believe.

We want to wait for an "appropriate time"

or a more conducive environment.

Mary Magdalene was called by the early Church fathers

as the "apostle to the apostles".

The word apostle is from a classical Greek word 

meaning "one who is sent".

An apostle is a messenger, an envoy,

an ambassador.

Are we willing to be that to our brothers and sisters,

to a world badly in need of hearing

about the man who died

in order to save them?

 

"God looked at everything He had made
and He found it very good." Genesis 1:13.
What is the Creation story doing in the
readings for the Easter Vigil Mass last Saturday?
And for that matter, why are there
7 Old Testament readings
(including 4 from the Psalms?)
There used to be 12 readings from the OT.

Apparently, the readings for the Vigil Mass
are meant to be a "panoramic view of whole trajectory
of salvation history, starting with creation,
  to the testimony of the prophets
by which this entire history is directed
ever more clearly towards Jesus Christ.
In the liturgical tradition all these readings
were called prophecies.
Even when they are not directly foretelling future events,
they have a prophetic character,
they show us the inner foundation
and orientation of history.
They cause creation and history
to become transparent to what is essential.
In this way they take us by the hand
and lead us towards Christ,
they show us the true LIGHT."
(from the homily of Pope Benedict, 23 April 2011)

In the beginning, in Genesis 1:1, we read that
the darkness covered the abyss,
and I like to connect the Creation story with
the first verse in John's Gospel.
"In the beginning was the Word..
and the Word was God..
the LIGHT shines in the darkness,
and the darkness has not, will not, will never overcome it."
(paraphrase by me!)

YES! God's creation is good! Very good!
And no matter what darkness, what twistedness, depravity,
the ancient enemy tries to cover us with,
LIGHT will prevail!
Jesus is risen, VICTORY ours!

And let us NOT be afraid to tell the world about it!

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