Empty Tomb, Expectant Heart

| SPIRITUAL LIFE | SPIRITUALITY

Easter Sunday

Father Robert Presutti, LC

John 20:1-9

On the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early in the morning while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb. So she ran off to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and told them, "They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we don’t know where they put him." So Peter and the other disciple went out and came to the tomb. They both ran, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter, and arrived at the tomb first; he bent down to look in and saw the burial cloths there, but did not go in. When Simon Peter arrived after him, he went into the tomb and saw the burial cloths there, and the cloth that had covered his head, not lying with the burial cloths but rolled up in a separate place. Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; for as yet they did not understand the scripture, that he had to rise from the dead.

Introductory Prayer: Lord, you are the source of all life because you are life itself. Your resurrection gives me the hope of being raised from the dead to rejoice with you forever in heaven. Thank you for your presence in my life. I love you, and I want to follow after you with all my heart. Be with me now, and inspire my prayer.

Petition: Lord Jesus, grant me the joy of seeing my hopes constantly kindled by your power over sin and death. May the strength of your resurrection overcome the weaknesses of my human nature.

1. Confusing Signs: Without faith, realities that should inspire hope and expectation only cause confusion. Jesus’ empty tomb is the sign of the most complete victory, the most extreme love, and the most powerful presence. Mary Magdalene, Peter and John all see the empty tomb. But their limited faith needs time to grow and completely accept the great gift that is offered to them. In approaching the mystery of God, I must stoke up my faith. Otherwise, what should cause hope and courage will only wind up becoming a stumbling block for me. Only a sincere and generous faith in Christ enables me to take the circumstances of life in hope, confidence and security.

2. Running to the Experience of Faith: Running is an integral part of this Gospel. Mary Magdalene runs. Peter runs, and John outruns Peter. Love for the Lord creates a sense of urgency. What they saw at the tomb could have been seen without running at all. But promptness is a sign of love for the Lord. If I wish to experience Christ and the power of his resurrection, I need to have a sense of urgency in my relationship with the Lord. I must strive to meet him and give myself to him in my here and now. I can’t wait for the “ideal” moment. If I don´t give myself to Christ now, under the present conditions, there is no reason to think I ever will.

3. Faith Begins with the Experience of the Senses, but Does Not End There: John, Peter and Mary Magdalene will eventually have an unshakeable conviction in the Resurrection, and become messengers of the Resurrection. But they first need to see the empty tomb and pick up the wrappings. They would also need to see and touch the risen Christ. All this would cause wonderment, reflection, and eventually a growing realization that would induce faith. God works in the same way in my life. First there are the lived experiences of my life: people I meet, circumstances I face, events that occur… Then my wonderment and reflection on what it all means. Then the slow dawning of faith.

“It is clearly evident that Christ´s resurrection is the greatest Event in the history of salvation, and indeed, we can say in the history of humanity, since it gives definitive meaning to the world. The whole world revolves around the Cross, but only in the resurrection does the Cross reach its full significance of salvific Event. The Cross and Resurrection constitute the one paschal mystery in which the history of the world is centered. Therefore Easter is the Church´s greatest Solemnity. Every year she celebrates and renews this Event, fraught with all the prophecies of the Old Testament, beginning with the "Protoevangelium" of the Redemption, and of all the eschatological hopes and expectations projected towards the "fullness of time", which was realized when the Kingdom of God definitively entered human history and the universal order of salvation” (Blessed John Paul II, General Audience, March 1, 1989).

Conversation with Christ: Lord Jesus, you know how to prepare your disciples to experience your presence deeply and know you intimately. I ask today for a deepening in my faith in your resurrection. Let all the events of my life point me to the truth that you are alive.

Resolution: I will be prompt in meeting the duties and responsibilities of today, in the truth of the risen Christ

Reading the Bible in the Dark

Dr. Mark Giszczak

April 20, 2014
Easter Vigil
Seven OT Readings: Gen 1:1—2:2; Gen 22:1-18; Exod 14:15—15:1; Isa 54:5-14; Isa 55:1-11; Bar 3:9-15, 3:32—4:4; Ezek 36:16-17a, 18-28.

When my friend went to the Easter Vigil for the first time and started hearing the many readings, he thought for a moment that they were going to read the whole Bible! At Easter, we might expect a lot of New Testament texts, but instead the Church presents us with seven Old Testament readings and eight responsorial psalms. That’s 15 Old Testament texts in one sitting—talk about an Old Testament extravaganza! Interestingly, on Easter morning, zero Old Testament texts are read, except for the super-Alleluia Psalm 118.

Praying and Waiting in the Dark

The Easter Vigil always reminds me of those long car trips my family took when I was young. We would get up before dawn and get on the road so we could make it to our destination by nightfall. At the Easter Vigil, we gather at church in the dark. We wait, watch, hope and pray in the dark. Praying in the dark might seem kind of strange, and reading tons of the Old Testament in the dark might feel even stranger. But, all the waiting, watching, and hoping has a purpose, a direction, a fulfillment. The lengthy and numerous Old Testament readings prepare us and teach us. They re-tell the story of salvation so as to direct our minds toward its ultimate goal, its consummation in the resurrection of Christ. The liturgy itself offers a rhythm of reading, psalm, prayer, then reading, psalm prayer, so we can enter into the cadence of waiting and allow our hearts to slowly swell in preparation for the resurrection. While we listen, we feel the last moments of fasting and penance giving way to the glorious celebration of Easter.

Salvation’s Story

If we have been listening attentively to the Old Testament readings throughout Lent, we have already encountered the story: the Fall, Abraham, the Exodus, the kingship of David, the resurrection future and the Suffering Servant. But now the Church presents to us the resurrection logic of the universe. By starting with the creation account of Genesis 1, the Lectionary points out that all of creation, all of reality was pointing toward this moment, that the destiny of the universe is somehow tied up in Jesus’ resurrection. The readings for the vigil pick up the story and retell it in its grandest dimensions: God’s creation of everything, the near-sacrifice of Isaac, the deliverance of the people of Israel from Egypt, the prophet Isaiah’s announcement of God’s merciful recall of his people from exile, and Ezekiel’s proclamation of cleansing.

Interpreting the Story

Perhaps the best way to say it is that throughout Lent, we have heard the story of salvation, but now at the grandest of feasts, in the darkest of hours, we finally receive the interpretation of the story. All the threads are brought together as the Church invites us to read all of these texts side-by-side. The power of the resurrection is magnified and its significance unveiled by filling in the backstory and explaining its dynamics. While we could have been discouraged by the story of the Old Testament, the fall of Adam and Eve and the many failures of God’s people, now we are given the definitive interpretation that all of these stories were leading up to: God created the universe in such a way that it would point us back to himself. Sin loses. Love wins. Easter was in his mind from the first moment of creation.

Re-Reading the Old Testament in Light of Christ

Jesus’ resurrection fulfills the story, offers redemption, brings us back from the exile of sin. The near-sacrifice of Isaac in Genesis 22 only makes sense in light of Christ. When Ezekiel prophesies, “I will take you away from among the nations, gather you from foreign lands, and bring you back to your own land” (Ezek 36:24), he means ultimately that God is bringing us back from the land of sin to live in his presence. When Baruch says of Wisdom, “all who cling to her will live” (Bar 4:1), he is pointing to Jesus. When Isaiah proclaims, “All you who are thirsty, come to the water!” (Isa 55:1), he is inviting us to the baptismal font, which Jesus offers to us. The Psalms that we sing in between the readings repeatedly use water imagery, which points to the cleansing waters of Baptism, in which the catechumens are about to be dunked. The meaning of the Exodus parting of the sea only finds fulfillment in the waters of salvation which Christ offers.

The story of salvation and its profound Easter interpretation reminds us of who God is, how he works, and how he created the universe so that we could share in his divine life. The plan of salvation was clear in his mind from the beginning. Through his resurrection on Easter morning, Jesus definitively conquers death and offers us eternal life. He is the “first fruits” (1 Cor 15:20) from the dead and invites us to share in his victory. That is why we can wait in the dark and pray in hope, for the Dawn is great indeed.