A reading from the gospel according to 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.

Reflection: Resurrection

There is a moment early in the morning that is darkest. Yet in that moment some 2,000 years ago, one woman found the tomb was empty. Halleluia! Jesus has risen from the dead!

It was the first day of the week. The disciples were still in fear but the good news had arrived. Jesus the Messiah is not dead. He is alive! And the history of the world is to pivot to this momentous event.

Nobody has witnessed the moment of resurrection. Nobody knows how it happened. The gospel passage above is a story after the fact and it only mentions that John saw and believed. What did he believe? That the tomb is indeed empty? You don’t have to believe that because you see it. One can only believe what he didn’t see but knew it in his heart that it happened. You don’t have to understand it either. You just believe it.

This is the core of our faith as followers of Jesus Christ. Saint Paul says that if Jesus has not been raised, our faith is in vain (1 Corinthians 15:14). Let us rejoice and be glad because the Lord has turned darkness into light, our sorrows into joy, and our disappointment into an appointment with eternal life.

*****

From Darkness to Dawn: Hope Rises

Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene made her way to the tomb. Her heart was heavy. The One she had followed, the One who had changed everything, had been crucified and buried. But what she discovered that morning shattered all expectations. The stone had been rolled away, and the tomb was empty.

What a powerful image: while it was still dark, she went to the tomb. This is more than a time marker. It’s a picture of the human condition. We often find ourselves walking through seasons of darkness that includes loss, confusion, fear, or despair. Like Mary, we approach the remnants of hope, unsure of what we’ll find.

But the Resurrection doesn’t wait for the light to shine. It begins in the dark.

That first moment of revelation reminds us that faith often begins not with understanding, but with awe. The Gospel reading above shows us Mary’s shock, Peter’s confusion, and John’s quiet belief. These disciples didn’t yet fully grasp what had happened. The text says, “They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.” Yet even in the midst of confusion, something extraordinary was taking place.

The empty tomb is not just an absence. It’s a beginning. It is the announcement that death has been defeated, that hope is not lost, and that God’s promises are true, even when we don’t yet comprehend them.

Think of the grave clothes lying there. The linen strips, once a symbol of finality, now sit untouched. Jesus did not just survive death. He overcame it. He left behind the very wrappings of mortality, a quiet but powerful sign that life had triumphed.

This passage challenges us to see through the lens of faith even when we don’t have all the answers. John, the disciple whom Jesus loved, looked into the tomb and believed. He didn’t see Jesus yet, but he believed. Sometimes faith is just that — a choice to believe in the promise, even when the picture isn’t fully clear.

And what does this mean for us?

It means that our darkest mornings are not the end of the story. It means that the stone can be rolled away in our own lives and that the weight of fear, regret, or grief can be lifted. It means that resurrection is not just a past event but a present power. The same power that raised Jesus from the dead lives in us (Romans 8:11).

It means we don’t have to understand everything to trust the One who holds everything. The disciples didn’t have the full picture that morning, but they were stepping into the greatest story ever told. And so are we.

Resurrection begins in the dark. It begins when we show up, broken but present, like Mary. It begins when we run toward what we don’t understand, like Peter. It begins when we choose to believe, like John.

So whatever tomb we’re facing today, let us know this: the stone has already been rolled away. Jesus is alive. And because He lives, we can also live fully, freely, and forever.

Let the empty tomb remind us that God is always working, even when we cannot see it. Let it inspire us to believe before we understand. And let it call us, like Mary, Peter, and John, into the rising light of a new dawn.

The grave is empty. Hope is alive. And our stories aren’t over.

For more reflection, go here.

You may also watch the video below.