The Resurrection of the Lord (A)

Let us go to Galilee

The gospel begins with the journey of the women to the tomb; they went to honour the body of their Lord. As the women were familiar with the task at hand, they would have known what to expect.

What they encountered points us to the Resurrection and new life in Christ.

This Easter gospel brings us life; we do not stay in the empty tomb—we follow the angel and go with the women. The women left the tomb with joy, interpreting the emptiness positively; having gone to care for the dead, they realised their task was to announce the living.

Their response on hearing the angel, even if they were not certain of what was happening or where their Lord was, is to follow instructions.

We need in these times to also respond to the call of Easter, to follow instructions like the women at the tomb. This response leads us to the call of Christ to live and to believe that neither death nor any virus can separate us or prevent the glory of God in our lives.

When the women met Jesus on their way to inform the disciples, they paid Him homage and He told them “Do not be afraid!”. He at that moment gave them a new mission, the invitation of Jesus was to go to Galilee and there they will see Him. It’s the same invitation He gives to us today, this Easter. He is telling us: “Do not be afraid!” amidst the COVID-19 pandemic and other issues facing us as a nation and as a world—death, pains, losing loved ones, financial challenges and hardships. There is power in His Resurrection.  He invites us to go to Galilee and we too, will join with the disciples to embrace Him in the Resurrection throughout the Easter Octave and throughout our lives.

The invitation to live the call of the resurrection and the new life that this resurrection affords us is a priceless gift from our God.

COVID-19 has allowed us to witness how fragile life can be. Many people have died, nurses, doctors, priests, humble men and women. All our lives have been affected, but the power of Jesus’ Resurrection is here to set us free and to afford us life in God. We now live every day as Easter.

Christ’s Resurrection is not a one-day celebration. It is a way of life which means every tomb becomes a womb of new birth and every darkness has been overcome by light.

So come on, let us go to Galilee! Let us live the resurrection power that takes away our sin. We are an Easter people, we are hopeful, we rejoice, the stone of death has been removed by the power of the Resurrection.

Lord Jesus, we thank You for the gift of Your Resurrection in our lives today. The power of Your Resurrection is enough to heal this world, our lives and to help us stand against the pandemic. Help us to help one another to embrace this power that can transform us. Bring us peace and hope as we celebrate Easter and Your presences in our lives every day. Amen.

The gospel meditations for April are by Donnel and Rosemarie Siewnarine, a couple from the Carapichaima RC parish.