4/9/2023 (Sunday) Today’s 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.

4/9/2023 (Sunday) Today’s gospel reflection: John 20:1-9

There is no doubt. The resurrection is the greatest story ever told. Jesus Christ is not dead. He is alive.

The empty tomb is there to tell us that indeed Jesus has risen from the dead. Yet it is the experience of His continued presence in the life of the Apostles and disciples and up to today’s Christians that truly matters. In other words, the resurrection story is not just history. It is not just an event in the past that we commemorate every year. Rather, it is an experience of every believer that the living God truly saves.

We may argue, discuss, and do all kinds of intellectual exercises about the truth of the empty tomb or the proof of God’s existence for that matter but if we don’t experience His presence in our life, then the resurrection story becomes meaningless. Yet, for more than 2,000 years, the living Christ continues to give hope, love, and inspiration to His followers. That is the power of the resurrection.

May the experience of Mary Magdalene and other witnesses of the resurrection be also our experience. At a time when we are most disappointed and feeling hopeless, may the risen Lord give us enough strength to continue in our journey with hope, peace and joy.

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