Scripture:
Acts 2:14, 22-23
Matthew 28:8-15
Reflection:
You know how when you have an amazing experience, you must share that story with your friends and family, telling it over and over? Well, the Resurrection story is so exciting and life changing that the Gospels for Easter Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday each tell part of the story.
When I hear a story repeated, I usually discover something that had not previously occurred to me. That is the case with today’s Gospel. Two opposing thoughts stand out in Matthew’s account of the Resurrection: everything has changed, yet nothing has changed.
Everything has changed. Jesus fulfilled his promise that in three days he would rise again. He defeated death with the promise of Resurrection. As the Christ, Jesus, and not the temple, is the center of worship. Within a few weeks, the disciples will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit and, as we see in the first reading, will bravely preach the Good News of the Resurrection.
Nothing has changed. The chief priests refuse to believe that Jesus has risen. They bribe the soldiers to say that the disciples stole the body during the night and then spread that story among the Jewish population. They cannot admit the Resurrection without endangering their economy, authority, and lifestyle. Instead, they will continue to persecute, imprison, and execute Jesus’s disciples.
As we consider our world today, it is easy to conclude that nothing has changed. We have national and international conflicts, migration crises, street violence, terrorism, and significant economic disparities. Individually we still witness physical and mental health crises, separation and divorce, homelessness, disease, and death. Yes, if we stop right there, nothing has changed.
As Passionists we know that the story does not stop at suffering and death. Everything has changed because we have the gift and hope of the Resurrection. When we share our charism, we walk with those who are enduring pain, sorrow, and disappointment. We point to the cross where Jesus suffered, and then we show them the empty tomb and the glory of Him rising from the dead!
Mike Owens is the coordinator of the Passionist Formation Alumni Association and a member of the Province Commission on Migration. He lives in Louisville, Kentucky.