What was just a simple attempt to do a corporal act of
mercy turned out to be the source of great joy!
When Mary Magdalene and other women went to Jesus’
tomb early Sunday morning (in our calendar) to finish what they had left undone
the Friday before, they were heading for the great surprise of their lives. They
could not find Jesus inside the tomb. Weeping bitterly, they wondered why Jesus’
torment was not yet over that even His torturers would still desecrate His dead
body.
They searched for Jesus but they could not find Him. Is
it because their search was not really that exhaustive? They immediately
informed the disciples, especially Peter whom they now deem as the new leader
of the group, they called the New Way.
The disciples too searched for Jesus in the empty tomb.
We search for a lot of things in life: money, power,
fame, work, human esteem, love, ambitions, etc. But in the wide array of things
that we look for in life, can we find Jesus in the list? Many people could not
find the true meaning and the authentic joy in their life simply because, in
the first place, they didn’t include Jesus in their bucket list or wish list.
Magdalene wept bitterly upon losing sight of Jesus’
dead body. But what worries us more is the loss of our cellphones, iPad or
other things that we consider so valuable. Do we also weep bitterly when we
lose Jesus through mortal sin? “Seek ye
first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. And all these things will be
added unto you”.
When Magdalene found Jesus, she could not recognize
Him at first. Has Jesus’ face changed? Has death modified His appearance? Oftentimes,
it is our grief that obscures our vision from perceiving clearly the face of
Jesus amidst our suffering. It hinders us from recognizing the hands of God
amidst our storms. Hence, in our incapacity to recognize the face of Jesus, we must
listen to His voice as it is proclaimed in the Church.
When finally Magdalene recognized our Lord, He said, “Noli me tangere” (Do not touch me). How
privileged are we today, for not only we can touch Jesus, we actually eat His Body in the Holy Communion! Our encounter
with the Risen Lord is deeper. It is Eucharistic. And being Eucharistic, it is
transformative not because it transforms the Body and Blood of Jesus into our
own self, but because as St. Therese of the Child Jesus said, “We are transformed into Jesus Himself as a
drop of rainwater falls into the vast ocean”.
Peter encountered the Risen Christ upon seeing the
empty tomb. John saw it also and believed. In order to encounter the Risen Lord,
we must empty our hearts which have become like “tombs” to a lot of filthy
things – our selfishness, pride and sensuality.
After confirming that, indeed, Christ has risen, Peter
spoke boldly to the Chief Priests and the leaders of the people. He was not
afraid anymore, unlike last Friday when he was asked by that powerless slave, “Are you one of the disciples of this
Nazarene?” and he denied it. Now, Peter has become courageous, unafraid,
but at the same time, loving and patient with the defects of others. It is
because he too recognized his own defects. We can love better when we know how
much we are loved. “He who has been
forgiven much of his sins will love more”.
Hence, no one who truly encounters the Risen Lord could
just stand there without doing anything. Authentic encounter with the Risen
Christ naturally leads us to love and to serve others. This encounter spurs us
into action: we will never be afraid of negative criticisms anymore for the
sake of Christ’s Kingdom; we will never get tired of getting involved in the
GKK or parish activities, in committing ourselves to the service of the Church.
St. Augustine used to pray: “Lord, give
me the love that you ask of me, and later, ask me whatever you want”. True
encounter with the Risen Lord would make one more loving. And he who loves
truly is willing to do whatever it is that the Beloved asks of him.
Let us, therefore, join the women – Mary Magdalene,
Salome, Mary, the wife of Cleofas – who went to the tomb in order to search for
Jesus, to encounter Jesus, and to love Him more. With the words of St.
Josemaria Escriva, I wish all of us: “May we search for Christ. May we encounter
Christ. May we love Christ”. Amen. HAPPY EASTER TO ALL OF YOU!