March 27, 2016: The Resurrection of the Lord

On the first day of the week,
Mary of Magdala came to the tomb early in the morning,
while it was still dark, and saw the stone removed from the tomb.
So she ran and went to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them,
“They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we don’t know where they put him.”
So Peter and the other disciple went out and came to the tomb.
They both ran, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter and arrived at the tomb first; he bent down and saw the burial cloths there, but did not go in.
When Simon Peter arrived after him, he went into the tomb and saw the burial cloths there, and the cloth that had covered his head, not with the burial cloths but rolled up in a separate place.
Then the other disciple also went in, the one who had arrived at the tomb first, and he saw and believed.
For they did not yet understand the Scripture that he had to rise from the dead. (John 20:1-9)

Reflection:

I’ve always loved the image of Peter and John having a foot race to get to the tomb. It speaks to me of their eagerness to see Jesus. After all, the last experience they had of Jesus was his dead body being let down from the cross! And as my pace becomes slower with age, I admire the younger John for waiting until Peter caught up so they could go check out the empty tomb together!

Action:

The Alleluia verse today, “This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad!” would be a great mantra to repeat each day, many times a day. Surely similar words were on the lips of John and Peter.
Each day IS made anew by our loving God. Each day IS gift.
Our joy and gladness should be evident to others as we live each day!