April 16, 2017 — The Resurrection of the Lord: The Mass of Easter Day
ACTS 10: 34A, 37-43; PS 118: 1-2, 16-17, 22-23; COL 3: 1-4; JN 20: 1-9
It is Easter! Today is a day of great joy for us as Catholics. The joy is reflected all around us in the way that people are dressed, in the way they approach Mass on this day. They key for us today is to carry that joy away from Mass to our celebrations and our lives.
We hear about similar joy in today’s Gospel from St. John. When Mary of Magdala goes to the tomb and discovers it empty, she does not walk leisurely back to tell the others. She runs, filled with excitement and with the same joy we must feel. Joy is contagious. That is what we need to spread when we go forth on this glorious day.
Easter for us should be an encounter with the Risen Lord. We are to share the Good News. That is what Mary of Magdala does. Perhaps we have a difficult time talking about the joy we feel at Easter and at other times in the Church. We should not be hesitant; sharing the joy is part of being a disciple of Christ; it is what makes us an “Easter people.”
All of the Gospels tell of the Resurrection of Christ. They may differ in some details, but they all agree that Christ is Risen. When His Apostles go forth to spread the Good News, they speak of His Resurrection, not the empty tomb. That is what we need to do, what we need to share — the Easter joy of being a Catholic and a Christian.
