A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew
After the sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb. . . . And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, approached, rolled back the stone, and sat upon it. . . . Then the angel said to the women in reply, “Do not be afraid! I know that you are seeking Jesus the crucified. He is not here, for he has been raised just as he said. . . .” Then they went away quickly from the tomb, fearful yet overjoyed, and ran to announce this 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.”
Today’s Gospel for the Easter Vigil Mass tells how Mary Magdalene and the other Mary go to the tomb of Jesus on the first day of the week and find that it is empty. An angel tells them that Jesus has risen from the dead, and that they should go and tell his disciples. Fearful yet overjoyed, they run to announce this to his disciples and meet Jesus on the way. In telling them not to be afraid and to go to Galilee, Jesus reveals that he will appear to them there. At this moment, Jesus confirms his divinity to the women and soon will do the same to the disciples. Through his resurrection, Jesus destroys death, offering salvation to all who believe in him. An unending source of joy and hope, the risen Christ brings to everybody as the firstfruits life in the new covenant based love and mercy and salvation for all.
God, just as the women came to see the tomb, I come to you today expecting nothing extraordinary to happen. A life lived in routines—even the best routines—leads to ordinary ends. It leaves little room for awe. Yet, as they arrived, the two Marys experienced an earthquake, an angel descending from heaven, Roman guards paralyzed with fear, a stone rolled back, and the voice of the angel saying, “Do not be afraid. I know that you are seeking Jesus the crucified.” Your angels, Lord, must know all about ordinary expectations. Rituals sustain us through all of life’s passages. We expect that a man who has died stays dead and that when visiting a tomb, we will find him there. But then the angel then invites them to see the place where Jesus lay, but the dead man is gone. God, help me today to put my well-worn, routine expectations to death in the pitch-black tomb where Jesus lay. Grant me the great gift of faith to expect that from the ordinary, you ignite the world with—wonder of wonders!—the extraordinary hope of life lived in your love.
From the responsorial psalm: “The right hand of the LORD has struck with power; the right hand of the LORD is exalted. I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the LORD. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.”
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.