Mary Magdalene came to the tomb in the early morning hours while it was still dark. Her Lord and Savior had just been crucified. The darkness of the early morning was overshadowed by the spiritual darkness that consumed her. Full of remorse, pain, and anger, Mary Magdalene believed that Jesus’ body had been stolen from the tomb. He had been put to death in the most violent and humiliating way possible, but now his body cannot even be anointed in the Jewish burial tradition. This is a first sign for Mary Magdalene, Peter, and the beloved disciple, of knowing that something special and unique was happening. Yet, they no idea what was going on, about the full implications that the resurrection would have on their lives and their faith.
Last night, we celebrated the Easter Vigil Mass. The symbolism of that mass is striking. We had explained to the members of the RCIA class and their sponsors that this liturgy takes place in the darkness of night. The Easter fire symbolizes the light of Christ that is brought into our world and into our lives in a special way through his death and resurrection. We have our candles lit by the light of Christ in the paschal candle, symbolizing Christ as the source of the true light for us in our lives.
During the season of Lent, we have been talking about how we are called to search for God in all things. We search for God in our joys, but also in moments of tragedy, suffering, and challenge. We search for him in the quiet, prayerful moments in our lives, but also in the busy schedules of our modern lives, in those moments that change us and transform us in very profound ways. We search for God in the questions that we have and in the things that bind us and restrict us. During Lent, we journeyed with Jesus on his way to the cross. We meditated upon his sufferings and his passion. We knew that he would die on a cross on Good Friday, which is a big part of what we believe as Catholics. However, with the cross comes the resurrection. We believe in the joy, the new life, the liberation that comes from the resurrection.
Traditionally, in the Early Church, the Easter Vigil Mass was the time when adults would enter the faith. Last night at our Easter Vigil mass at Holy Savior, we had a group of adults come into the Church as catechumens, those who had not been baptized yet, and candidates, those who had been baptized into another Christian denomination. These adults in the RCIA process underwent a formation that culminated into their entry into the Church last night. The joy those neophytes, their families, and their sponsors experienced is a great witness to all of us.
But, look at what today’s Gospel says carefully. The beloved disciple saw the empty tomb. He saw all that was happening. And he believed. Yet, it also said that this group still did not understand all that the Scriptures said. The members of the Early Church believed, but they spent a lot time figuring out what Jesus was all about, figuring out what relevance he had in their lives and in what they believed. We, too, are called to believe and to be witnesses. This Easter season that we are now entering is a wonderful time for us to examine our faith, to recommit ourselves to what we believe. Perhaps we have not been attending mass regularly or are thinking about how we can become more engaged in our parish. Now is a good time to put some of that into action. For these next weeks during the Easter season, the Church invites us to ponder what the resurrection of Jesus really means to us, to ponder what it really means to live the resurrection in our lives. Let us all accept that invitation.
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