by Fr. Julius C. Lupot

READINGS:     Acts 10: 34. 37-43   /   Psalm 118: 1-2. 16-17. 22-23   /   1 Corinthians 5: 6-8

JOHN 20: 1-9

HIS WORD…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. So she ran and went… For they did not yet understand the Scripture that he had to rise from the dead.

my words…Of the 365 days in a calendar year or 366 days for a leap year, the EASTER SUNDAYis the crowning glory of them all: it is CHRIST’s victory over sin and death; it is also OUR victory being saved by the victorious CHRIST. That is why we acclaim: Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! For the Lord is truly risen… Alleluia!!!

Brothers and Sisters, the very first witness of the resurrection was a woman, not a dignified woman in the eyes of the Jewish society, but a woman with ill-reputation, whom Jesus Himself healed from seven demons. But since then, she became an avid follower though not recognized among the men of His time for that culture thought that a woman was a source of sinfulness and was incapable of learning and therefore no recognition nor identity nor status in a patriarchal society. A woman cannot be relied on nor trusted and so cannot qualify as a “witness” in any case or claim whatsoever. And here comes the Risen Christ who opted to show first to a weak witness to give her hope and strength. But not yet confident of her status, she ran and went to Simon Peter and the Beloved Disciple (Jn 20:2), to report about the “empty tomb”. Not trusting on the woman’s announcement, they both ran to the tomb to see for themselves. And they came to believe!

Brothers and Sisters, thanks be to God, by our faith, we have come to believe in Jesus Christ who rose from the dead. We may not have seen the “empty tomb” but Jesus left the tomb to be with us, to be alive again with us. That was why before dying, He left us His Body and Blood, the Holy Eucharist, as a remembrance to make us feel and experience that He is alive; He is always with us. And with this belief, we need to announce it to make others believe that Jesus is truly real with us and in us. This was the urging or prompting of Mary Magdalene; she has to run and announce to Peter and John. That was why the Church Fathers referred to Mary as “the apostle to the apostles” because she announced the empty tomb to the apostles (Fr. Paul J. Marquez, SSP. SambuhayMissalette, St Pauls Media Pastoral Ministry, April 5, 2015).

Brothers and Sisters, whether the tomb is empty or not, what matter most for us is that Jesus is alive! And the fact of the resurrection and our faith in it has become a pledge for us that there is eternal life; the life that we have been dreaming of and praying for. Let us then proclaim the Risen Christ and put confidence in the words of St. Paul to the Church in Corinth: “And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is empty, and empty too is your faith” (1 Cor 15:14).

THE LORD IS TRULY RISEN… ALLELUIA! ALLELUIA! ALLELUIA!!!