Alive in Christ!

"We have died with Christ, we believe we shall also live with Him." 

Romans 6:8

There is no Catholic mass on Holy Saturday and no readings either. We just have Jesus' tomb to ponder on. For us, we know that the tomb is empty. That is why, later, when we attend the Easter vigil, there will be an extravagance of 17 readings from Genesis, Exodus, Isaiah, Baruch, Ezekiel, Romans, the Gospel of Matthew and the Psalms. 

But imagine if we were one of the women at the foot of the cross. There was no uncertainty, Jesus, the One we believed was Messiah, the One who forgave me of my Sin, the One who healed lepers, blind men, paralytics, exorcised evil spirits, the One who brought Lazarus to life.....dead. Buried. Sealed inside a tomb. What could be the meaning of that? Was it all a lie? The anguish, the disappointment, and sorrow I feel is so real, it's almost as if a rock was crushing the very breath out of me. We are all cowering in fear right now. It's like all hope is gone, extinguished. We are left alone to face a cloudy future. 

 

Lord, that is the reality if You did not rise from the dead on Easter morning. We would all have no hope, and no future. But because You died, our sinful selves were buried with You in baptism. And just as You were risen from the grave, we also may live new lives!