HAPPY EASTER
The message that Mary Magdalene brought to two of thedisciples, Peter and John, must have made their hearts feel uneasy. What does it mean that the Tomb is empty? Why is it empty? What happened to the Master's body? Without thinking long about these questions, Peter and John made in a hurry their way to the Tomb.
Their rush testifies to the intimate relationship they still have with the Master. His death did not distance them from Jesus, on the contrary, it brought them closer to Him.
They both experienced the drama of the last few days very much, although each of them in their own way. John, although he remained under the cross to the end, was not free from inner confusion and doubts. Peter was still unable to shake off not only what had happened to Jesus but also his betrayal of Jesus. Before denying Jesus, Peter was a strong, self-confident man. Sin made him understand that he was not self-sufficient, that he needed Jesus, his cross and his suffering.
Did Peter and John have faith in the Resurrection when they ran to the Tomb?
John's quick run to the tomb symbolizes his fast coming to faith, because faith with a pure heart is easier to accept. Peter was walking slower, which may be a symbol of faith caught up in sins and failures. Peter came to faith in the Resurrection much slower and with greater difficulty. Undoubtedly, the tears of repentance and the prayer of Jesus helped Peter.
Although both reached the joy of the Resurrection in different ways, ultimately it is shared by both disciples.
Who Can Believe in the Resurrection? Only those who experienced Good Friday and those who have understood their sin and touched the limits of their faith.
When they arrived at the Tomb, John waited for Peter. He gave priority to him, showing respect for the age and position of Peter in the community of the Apostles. The image of what they saw will remain in their memory for the rest of their lives - an empty Tomb. With this empty tomb, Jesus proved that he is alive. By appearing to his disciples for the next forty days, Christ will strengthen their faith.
It was then that Peter and John believed that Christ is risen. On the same day, the Lord Jesus appeared alive to all eleven of His disciples (cf. Jn 20, 19ff). From then on, successive generations of believers were to be renewed in this joy beyond the joys that Christ is risen! It was not an ordinary resurrection to the life he gave on the cross for us. He is risen in a glorified and divinized body. He is risen from the dead and is raised to a life that is no longer subject to death.
From then on, through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, eternal life is also available to us, even though we were born in sin. The omnipotent love of God, which was revealed through Jesus Christ, made that Adam's sin did not destroy the eternal plans of God's goodness towards man. Eternal life is once again within the reach of our real hopes. In Jesus Christ, our risen Lord, every human being can become God's friend forever.
Today, the only source of faith in the Resurrection of Jesus for us is the testimony of the disciples.
On the Solemnity of the Lord's Resurrection, let us ask Jesus to increase our faith. Let us also ask his disciples for help in reaching it. Let us ask Peter for the gift of tears for our unfaithfulness and for the awareness that our sins do not have to be an obstacle to our meeting with the Risen One, because "where sin increased, grace was poured out all the more" (cf. Rom 5:20). John, let us ask for a purity of heart and clarity of desires, that we may be among those who "did not know and believe (cf. Jn 20:29)."
Alleluia – Christ is Risen
fr. george