The Holy Gospel according to Matthew 28:8-15
Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went away quickly from the tomb,
fearful yet overjoyed,
and ran to announce the news to his disciples.
And behold, Jesus met them on their way and greeted them.
They approached, embraced his feet, and did him homage.
Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid.
Go tell my brothers to go to Galilee,
and there they will see me.”
While they were going, some of the guard went into the city
and told the chief priests all that had happened.
The chief priests assembled with the elders and took counsel;
then they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers,
telling them, “You are to say,
‘His disciples came by night and stole him while we were asleep.’
And if this gets to the ears of the governor,
we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.”
The soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed.
And this story has circulated among the Jews to the present day.
Reflection: This Gospel reading falls into two very distinct parts, each part standing in contrast to the other. The first part is full of the Joy of Easter. Having heard the message from the empty tomb that Jesus is risen, the women are filled with awe and great joy. Their joy is deepened when the risen Lord himself meets them and commissions them to share the good news, the gospel, with Jesus’ brothers and sisters, his disciples. We have a sense of a joy that is ever expanding, beyond the circle of the women, to the wider circle of the disciples, and beyond them to that much wider circle of all those who will become the Lord’s disciples. We all belong in that wider circle, and we are invited to taste the joy of the good news of Easter this Easter Monday.
The second part of the gospel reading highlights attempts to suppress the Easter message by promoting the false claim that Jesus’ body was stolen, using money as a tool just as in his betrayal. These efforts reflect ongoing opposition to the significance of Easter, which affirms everything Jesus taught and represented. Suppressing the Easter story is similar to dismissing his entire life and work. Despite such opposition, we are called to continually witness to the Easter story and uphold Jesus’ teachings, trusting in God’s power to bring new life.
As illustrated by these chief priests and elders. Some forms of sin can more easily be admitted than others, especially sins of weakness. Their obstinate pride is not only hard to overcome, but also to admit. It’s hard to admit our sin when it is based on our obstinacy and pride. As a result, as we have read about the chief priest and elders, this type of sin often leads to other sins such as ongoing deception, manipulation and anger. After all the miracles and powerful preaching of Jesus, you would think that the chief priests and elders would have believed. But they didn’t. Or maybe they wanted to but they couldn’t. And then, after hearing the testimony of these soldiers, you would think they would have fallen on their knees, repented of their hardness of hearts, and come to believe. But they didn’t. They doubled down in their sin and added sin upon sin. So this vicious cycle of sin and deceit starts to snowball.
Action of the Day: I will examine my fears and bring them to you to shepherd me through them.
Audio Reflection:
