Monday, March 28, 2016

Homily: Easter Monday 2016 - Fearful, yet overjoyed

When Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to the place where Jesus was buried, their first encounter was with an empty tomb.  Jesus’ body laid to rest on Good Friday was missing.  Unlike, the eleven apostles had fled from their master’s passion in fear, these two women had watched Jesus die in agony, and witnessed his interment in the tomb: they had followed Jesus to the bitter end.

What brought them to the tomb on Easter morning? St. Mark says that they came with spices to complete the burial rites left unfinished by Joseph of Arimathea. St. Matthew omits this detail, 

perhaps to intimate, that what really brought them to the tomb was Hope.  Hope that Jesus’ words and his promises would be fulfilled.  Hope, that he had risen, just as he said he would. 

Their first encounter was with an empty tomb, their second encounter that morning was with an angel heralded by a great earthquake—and he truly had some earth-shattering news: Jesus has risen!

The last time we met the angel of the Lord in Matthew’s Gospel, Joseph was being told not to fear taking the pregnant Virgin Mary as his wife, now the angel offers that same greeting to the women at the tomb, “Do not be afraid!” Why would these courageous women be afraid, especially if hope had brought them to the tomb? In Scripture, fear is a common experience in the face of some powerful work of God—and the resurrection, though promised by Jesus is still beyond our imagining…or perhaps, the angel wanted to reassure these women that Jesus’ body had not been stolen. And they left the angel “fearful, yet overjoyed” as they carried this message of the resurrection.

 “Fearful, yet overjoyed” is a great description for all of us tasked with the message of spreading the Gospel. We are fearful, because we are all in unfamiliar territory.  We will not know how the message will be received. We are not entirely sure how we will reach out to those who appear to have hard hearts.  Yet, we are overjoyed in being tasked with this mission.

I think of the newly baptized on Easter.  How overjoyed they must be in receiving the new life of grace, yet also a little fearful—how will they maintain that joy, and maintain this new relationship with the risen Lord? Certainly with our help, yes?

The most important encounter the two Mary’s had that morning, wasn’t with an empty tomb, not even with the angel.  The third encounter they had was with the Risen Lord Jesus himself.
In earlier years, it was customary for the newly baptized to attend Mass throughout the entire octave of easter, so they could encounter the Lord as they encountered him in the easter sacraments, once again in the reading of scripture and the celebration of Eucharist.

And all of us need that constant encounter with the Lord: in our communal worship, in the scriptures, in the study of our faith, in service to the needy, and of course, in the blessed sacrament.


We are blessed to have that great honor this morning. May the Lord, give us courage in our fearful mission of spreading his Gospel, and fill us with joy at knowing his constant presence with us, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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