Sunday Gospel Reflection
"As yet they did not know the scripture, that Jesus must rise from the dead"

Introduction:

Easter, when disappointment was turned to delight, and delight was turned to destruction.

Surely Satan and the forces of evil must have thought they had won. And if the forces of evil could have danced, surely they must have been dancing since the day that they thought they had killed the Son of God. Darkness seemed to have been reigning supreme from the time when Judas and an armed crowd, came under the cloak of darkness to arrest Jesus. Darkness provided the cover for their evil intentions and even for the shameful abandonment of Jesus by His disciples. Even Peter had to slink away into the darkness to hide his shame.

How Satan and the forces of evil must have rejoiced as "from noon onward there was darkness over the whole land," until at last Jesus "gave up His spirit." How they must have believed that this darkness was just a foretaste of the spiritual darkness which would rule the earth unabated by the Light of the World. But God had another plan and turned their delight to disappointment.

While darkness still seemed to reign, Mary Magadalene and her companions, and later Peter and John, came "while it was still dark" only to find an empty tomb. Disappointment upon disappointment, or so it seemed at first. But when they realized that the face cloth was separate from the other burial wrappings, a ray of hope and light, pierced the darkness, never to be extinguished again. It was a ray of hope and light which was to grow in brilliance as Christ's resurrection became known and understood. Praise
God, disappointment is turned to delight! "The New Testament writers speak as if Christ's achievement in rising from the dead was the first event of its kind in the whole history of the universe. He is the 'first fruits', the 'pioneer of life'. He has forced open a door
that has been locked since the death of the first man. He has met, fought, and beaten the King of Death. Everything is different because He has done so. This is the beginning of the New Creation: a new chapter in cosmic history has opened," ( C.S. Lewis, from Miracles.)

Wherever, or whenever you are experiencing darkness of the soul, Jesus is there, a Light shining in darkness. He can turn our disappointment to delight. The resurrection not only holds the promise of eternal life, but also the promise that Satan and the forces of evil will not prevail in our lives. In Christ, you are a new creation, and can experience the joy of living as a new creation. Like the
disciple in today's Gospel reading, we must see and believe.

First Reading
Acts 10:34,37-43
       
34 And Peter opened his mouth and said: "Truly I perceive that God shows no partiality,...
37 the word which was proclaimed    throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee after the baptism which John preached:     
38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power; how he went about doing good and healing all that were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.
39 And we are witnesses to all that he did both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree;
40 but God raised him on the third day and made him manifest;
41 not to all the people but to us who were chosen by God as witnesses, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead.
42 And he commanded us to preach to the people, and to testify that he is the one ordained by God to be judge of the living and the dead.
43 To him all the prophets bear witness that every one who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name."

Second Reading
Colossians 3:1-4

1 If then you were raised with Christ, seek what is above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.  
2 Think of what is above, not of what is on earth.
3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
4 When Christ your life appears, then you too will appear with him in glory.

Gospel Reading
John 20:1-9

1 On the first day of the week, Mary of Magdala came to the tomb early in the morning, while it was still dark, and saw the stone removed from the tomb.
2 So she ran and went to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them, "They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we don't know where they put him."
3 So Peter and the other disciple went out and came to the tomb.
4 They both ran, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter and arrived at the tomb first;
5 he bent down and saw the burial cloths there, but did not go in.
6 When Simon Peter arrived after him, he went into the tomb and saw the burial cloths there,
7 and the cloth that had covered his head, not with the burial cloths but rolled up in a separate place.
8 Then the other disciple also went in, the one who had arrived at the tomb first, and he saw and believed.
9 For they did not yet understand the scripture that he had to rise from the dead.

Bible Study

1 On the first day of the week, Mary of Magdala came to the tomb early in the morning, while it was still dark, and saw the stone removed from the tomb.
  ----All the Gospel accounts are in substantial agreement concerning the time when the tomb was first found to be empty, before dawn on Sunday morning. Mary Magdalene is named also by Matthew and Mark along with companions; Luke gives no names but speaks of "women" in the plural. In this verse John seems to make it appear that Mary Magdalene was alone but this is not necessarily the case as we will see in the next verse.

2 So she ran and went to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved,
  ----Mark 16:7 relates that the women were told to announce the resurrection to Peter and the other disciples; John is the only evangelist to single out the beloved disciple (himself).

2b and told them, "They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we don't know where they put him."
   ----The fact that she say "we don't" would make it appear that She wasn't alone at the tomb, but was in fact accompanied by other women.

3 So Peter and the other disciple went out and came to the tomb.
4 They both ran, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter and arrived at the tomb first;
5 he bent down and saw the burial cloths there, but did not go in.
  ----No reason is given for John's remaining outside the tomb; given the amazing/distressing news that he and Peter had come to investigate. It is assumed that he did not enter because Peter was the leader of the apostles and as such it was his responsibility to lead the investigation.

6 When Simon Peter arrived after him, he went into the tomb and saw the burial cloths there,
  ----The Greek participle translated here seems to indicate that the wrappings were flattened, deflated, as if they were emptied when the body of Jesus rose and disappeared -- as if it had come out of the wrappings without their being undone, passing right through them (just as He later entered the Upper Room when the doors were shut). One can readily understand how this would amaze a witness, how unforgettable the scene would be.

7 and the cloth that had covered his head, not with the burial cloths but rolled up in a separate place.
  ----This head cloth would have been tied, rolled like a triangular bandage, under the chin and over the top of the head to secure the mouth in a closed position. The first point to note is that it was not with the other wrappings, but placed to one side. The second, even more surprising thing is that, unlike the clothes, it still has a certain volume, like a container, possibly due to the stiffness given it by the ointments: this is what the Greek participle, here translated as "rolled", seems to indicate. From these details concerning the empty tomb one deduces that Jesus' body must have risen in a heavenly manner, that is, in a way which transcended the laws of nature. It was not only a matter of the body being reanimated as happened, for example, in the case of Lazarus, who had to be unbound before he could walk (see John 11:44).

8 Then the other disciple also went in, the one who had arrived at the tomb first, and he saw and believed.
9 For they did not yet understand the scripture that he had to rise from the dead.

Meditation

On Sunday morning the women went to the tomb to pay their last tribute to a dead body. The disciples thought that everything had finished in tragedy.  Neither were ready to see an empty tomb and hear the angel's message,   Why do you seek the living among the dead (Luke 24:5)?  Is it any small wonder that it was the women, rather than the apostles, who first witnessed the empty tomb and the resurrected Lord?  Isidore of Seville, a 7th century church father comments on this: "As a woman (Eve) was first to taste death, so a woman (Mary Magdalene) was first to taste life.  As a woman was prescient in the fall, so a woman was prescient in beholding the dawning of redemption, thus reversing the curse upon Eve."  The first to testify to the risen Lord was a woman from whom Jesus had cast out seven demons.

What is the significance of the stone being rolled away? It would have taken several people to roll away such a stone. And besides, the sealed tomb had been guarded by soldiers! This is clearly the first sign of the resurrection.   Bede, a church father from the 8th century, comments: "[The angel] rolled back the stone not to throw open a way for our Lord to come forth,  but to provide evidence to people that he had already come forth. As the virgin's womb was closed, so the sepulcher was closed, yet he entered the world through her closed womb, and so he left the world through the closed sepulcher." (From Homilies on the Gospels 2,7,24) Another church father remarked: "To behold the resurrection, the stone must first be rolled away from our hearts" (Peter Chrysologus, 5th century).  Do you know the joy of the resurrection?

It is significant that the disciples had to first deal with the empty tomb before they could come to grips with the fact that scripture had foretold that Jesus would die for our sins and then rise triumphant.  They disbelieved until they saw the empty tomb.  Bede explains why the Risen Lord revealed himself gradually to the disciples: "Our Lord and redeemer revealed the glory of his resurrection to his disciples gradually and over a period of time, undoubtedly because so great was the virtue of the miracle that the weak hearts of mortals could not grasp [the significance of] this all at once. Thus, he had regard for the frailty of those seeking him. To those who came first to the tomb, both the women who were aflame with love for him and the men, he showed the stone rolled back. Since his body had been carried away, he showed them the linen cloths in which it had been wrapped lying there alone. Then, to the women who were searching eagerly, who were confused in their minds about what they had found out about him, he showed a
vision of angels who disclosed evidences of the fact that he had risen again. Thus, with the report of his resurrection already accomplished, going ahead of him, the Lord of hosts and the king of glory himself at length appeared and made clear with what great might he had overcome the death he had temporarily tasted." (From Homilies on the Gospels 2,9,25)

One thing is certain, if Jesus had not risen from the dead and appeared to his disciples, we would never have heard of him.  Nothing else could have changed sad and despairing men and women into people radiant with joy and courage. The reality of the resurrection is the central fact of the Christian faith. Through the gift of the Holy Spirit, the Lord gives us "eyes of faith" to know him and the power of his resurrection. The greatest joy we can have is to encounter the living Lord and to know him personally.  Do you celebrate the feast of Easter with joy and thanksgiving for the victory which Jesus has

Reflections:

· Please re-read the phrase(s)/sentence(s) that move(s)/touche(s)   you.

· On the first day of the week, Mary of Magdala came to the tomb early in the morning, while it was still dark, and saw the stone removed from the tomb.(John 20:1)
  ----What needs to be removed from your heart to behold the resurrection?
  ----Have you longed to meet Jesus as Mary did?

· They both ran, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter and arrived at the tomb first; (John 20:4)
  -----There were different reactions to Jesus' resurrection: joy, fear, paralysis, running, or a combination. What can we learn from these disciples and their various responses?
  ----How do you react?

To live His Word this week:
1. Spend some extra time to contemplate about Jesus' resurrection.
2. Share your happiness and greet as many as possible to show that you are in the spirit of Easter.

For Youngsters:
1. Open the missalette and read along during the Mass.
2. If you play the game of retreiving Easter egg, think about some unfortunate children around the world and do something for them

Prayer

Lord Jesus Christ, you have triumphed over the grave and you have won new life for us. Give me the eyes of faith to see you in your glory. Help me to draw near to you and to grow in the knowledge of your great love and power.