The empty tomb: The resurrection of Christ

It’s Easter Sunday and we proclaim the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ which the priests say in Latin, “Mortem tuamannuntiåmus, Dômine, Et tuamresurrectionemconfitémur, donecvénias,” or as we would proclaim in English, “Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again.” As the old saying goes, “There is always a light at the end of darkness.”

For the Holy Week, we contemplated on the passion and death of our Lord Jesus Christ, who was crucified and died for our sins. But after three days, as he prophesied, our Lord and savior conquered death and rose up again.You can read this scripture passage about the empty tomb in John 20:1-9.

“1 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. 2 So she ran and went to Simon Peter and to the other disciples whom Jesus loved and told them, “They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we don’t know where they put him.”

3 So Peter and the other disciples went out and came to the tomb. 4 They both ran, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter and arrived at the tomb first; 5 he bent down and saw the burial cloths there, but did not go in. 6 When Simon Peter arrived after him, he went into the tomb and saw the burial cloths there, 7 and the cloth that had covered his head, not with the burial cloths but rolled up in a separate place.

8 Then the other disciple also went in, the one who had arrived at the tomb first, and saw and believed. 9 For they did not yet understand the scripture that he had to rise from the dead.”

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To this day, there are people who, like the Romans and the Jews, still refuse to believe in the resurrection of the man that they brutalized and crucified on the cross. As a warning, Pilate even place a detail of Roman guards to watch over his tomb because the Pharisees were told that he would rise again from the dead. So even in death… the Jews were afraid to believe what was written in many scripture passages and prophesied by Moses and the prophets that the Son of Man would be killed but would rise up in glory.

More than anyone else, our Lord Jesus Christ gave his disciples this prophesy starting in Matthew 16: 21-22 just after the confession of Peter that his Lord and Master was indeed the Messiah, the son of God. After giving him the Keys of the kingdom of heaven, scripture reads, “From that time on, Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer greatly from the elders, the chief priests and the scribes, and be killed and on the third day be raised.”

Look at the reaction of St. Peter to this first prediction by our Lord Jesus Christ when he said, “God forbid, Lord! No such thing shall ever happen to you.” Our Lord Jesus Christ rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me Satan! You are an obstacle to me. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.” Yes, our Lord Jesus called Peter, whom he just anointed as his Pope or head of his church a “Satan” which means, “One that opposes.” But in making that statement, our Lord told Peter, “Get behind me.” This meant, follow me and believe in my words.

The horrible torture and punishment that the Romans inflicted on our Lord Jesus Christ must have been etched in the memories of his disciples that after his gruesome death, one can only be left with the image of the Messiah suffering and dying on the cross. After he died, I’m sure that his disciples only felt sorrow and remorse, especially Peter who denied our Lord three times and didn’t do enough to help even carry his cross to Golgotha.

Yet even in death, our Lord Jesus Christ prayed to his Father saying, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.” This was an act of forgiveness to all those who have contributed to his gruesome death, from the betrayal of Judas, to his Roman torturers, to the Roman Governor Pilate, the chief priests and scribes and yes, including Simon Peter who denied him. This is because our Lord Jesus Christ was God and God always forgives, unlike we humans who harbor grudges and hatred and bury these hate to our graves.

But all of the sudden, Mary of Magdala ran to the disciples telling them that the body of their Lord was taken away. This is why they ran so fast to the tomb only to find it empty. It was in these moments that they recalled all his prophecies that he would be resurrected on the third day. The resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, gave a new meaning to our life on earth… that the truth is… we are all destined to be in heaven with God and this earth is only a temporary place for us. This is why we are called pilgrims on earth. A happy Easter to our faithful readers. God bless us all!

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