The story today in the Gospel tells us of the experience of the two Mary’s, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary, as they encounter the risen Lord.
As we hear this story three things stand out,
They are urged to believe. One can only imagine their initial thoughts, “can this really be true?” Even to this day there are those who find Christianity “too good to be true.” Those who question, does compassion and forgiveness really have a place in this world that at times can seem so competitive, so uncaring.
They are urged to share. Their first duty is to share the good news with others. As Christians we are called by our lives to be the “body of Christ”; to be messengers of the hope and joy that is the Easter message.
They are urged to rejoice. It is said that the true sign of a person who is holy is that they are a person who exhibits joy in their life. Too often we see individuals, even clergy, who view religion as that which is mostly about guilt, about placing burdens on others, about believing that we are disciples of an angry, judgmental God instead of a loving, compassionate God.
I think of the example of St. Francis, described as God’s Troubadour, a person joyfully singing the goodness of God, who began many of his talks by saying, ‘Good morning, Good people.”
Easter, a time to rejoice, the lord is risen!
Image: “This is the day that the Lord has made. I will rejoice and be glad in it.” by Melissa Hillier is licensed under CC BY 2.0.