Reflection for Easter Sunday- April 12th, 2020

HE IS RISEN!     HAPPY EASTER!
 
Jesus Christ is Risen From The Dead. The Victory over sin and death has been won!  Alleluia!
 
Today’s Readings: (Look Them Up!)
 
Acts 10:34-43
Psalm 118 -  This is the day the Lord has made: let us rejoice and be glad!
Colossians 3:1-4
Gospel: John 20:1-9
 
In our gospel reading today, Peter and “the disciple whom Jesus loved” ran to the tomb after Mary of Magdala told them that the Lord was no longer there.  Who is “the disciple whom Jesus loved?”  Whenever a detail like that is omitted in a passage, it allows us to place ourselves in the story.  YOU are the disciple whom Jesus loves!
 
In Friday’s gospel reading we read that, from the cross, Jesus told “the disciple whom he loved” to take Mary as his mother from now on (John 19:26-27).  Jesus was telling each one of us, ‘the disciples whom Jesus loves’, to take Mary as our mother.
 
Although we know from scripture references that this phrase refers to John, the youngest of the disciples, we are encouraged to realize that the omission of the name allows us to enter into the story. 
 
Today we read that this disciple “saw and believed.”  What did he see?  An empty tomb.  Think about that for a moment.  All he saw was an empty tomb!  But when seeing only that, he believed. 
 
This disciple had spent so much time with Jesus, that he knew the Truth.  He knew that Jesus was the Messiah.  He knew that Jesus had given up his life for us. He had spent enough time with Jesus that, even if he didn’t understand everything that was going to happen before the Resurrection, he understood now….just by seeing an empty tomb!
 
How about you?  Have you spent enough time with Jesus to understand? Do You Believe??
 
In Christ’s Peace and the Joy of Easter….
 Carol Mullins