Monday within the Octave of Easter
One of the striking things about Jesus’ Resurrection appearances is that each time the Lord appears to people, he sends them on a mission to tell others and to spread the news. He makes them missionaries of the new Easter truth that he is risen.
In today’s gospel reading, when the women embraced him, Jesus tells them to go and carry the news to his brothers that they are to go to Galilee to meet him. Through these appearances, Jesus is reweaving his community, broken apart and scattered by his Passion, into a new community centered on his Resurrection.
Our liturgical experience of the Jesus’ Paschal mystery through the Easter Triduum celebrations and Easter itself will hopefully make us missionaries of Easter truth as well. If we have experienced closeness to Christ this Easter, we should share that with others. If we have experienced mercy and forgiveness, we should share that with others. If we have experienced a deepened faith and renewed commitment to the Church, we should share that with others.
How about you? What beautiful experience did you have in our celebration of the Easter Triduum and Easter Sunday that you can (and you must) share with others? We need to remind ourselves that every good experience we have is a blessing; and every blessing is also a responsibility. Thus, the good things that we have experienced and continue to experience this Easter are blessings that we must share to others. We should not only radiate Christ’s peace to others; we should also let people know the source of our peace: the risen Lord Jesus Christ! (Joseph Krempa)
Jesus’ Resurrection appearances are never only to comfort, assure or convince single individuals alone. They are ‘starters’ or ‘triggers’ for a mission and a vocation that extend beyond the appearance itself. They are given to individuals but intended for the world. The closeness of the risen Christ to us that we experience is not just for us but for others. That is why we must find a way to share it.
What the risen Lord is telling us today is: “Do not be afraid. Go and carry the news that Jesus is risen… He is truly risen!”
Parokya ni Osong 