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Illustration: Myrrhbearers on Christ’s Grave, c. 1235 AD, Mileševa monastery in Serbia.
Pope Francis’ Regina Caeli – Saint Peter’s Square – Easter Monday, 10 April 2023
Gospel Matthew 28:8-15)
Filled with awe and great joy the women came quickly away from the tomb and ran to tell the disciples. And there, coming to meet them, was Jesus. ‘Greetings’ he said. And the women came up to him and, falling down before him, clasped his feet. Then Jesus said to them, ‘Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers that they must leave for Galilee; they will see me there.’
While they were on their way, some of the guard went off into the city to tell the chief priests all that had happened. These held a meeting with the elders and, after some discussion, handed a considerable sum of money to the soldiers with these instructions, ‘This is what you must say, “His disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were asleep.”
And should the governor come to hear of this, we undertake to put things right with him ourselves and to see that you do not get into trouble.’ The soldiers took the money and carried out their instructions, and to this day that is the story among the Jews.
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Today the Gospel makes us relive the encounter of the women with the risen Jesus on Easter morning. It thus reminds us that it was they, the women disciples, who were the first to see him and meet him.
We might ask ourselves: why them? For a very simple reason: because they were the first to go to the tomb. Like all the disciples, they too were suffering from the way the story of Jesus seemed to have ended; but, unlike the others, they did not stay at home paralyzed by sadness and fear: early in the morning, at sunrise, they went to honor the body of Jesus, bringing with them perfumed ointments.
The tomb had been sealed and they wondered who would remove the heavy stone for them, (cf. Mk 16:1-3 – And when the sabbath was past, Mary Mag′dalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. 2 And very early on the first day of the week they went to the tomb when the sun had risen. 3 And they were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the door of the tomb?”). But their desire to carry out this gesture of love prevails over all else. They are not discouraged, they overcome their fears and their anxieties. This is the way to find the Risen One: to come out from our fears, to come out from our anguish.
Let us go through the scene described in the Gospel: the women arrive, they see the empty tomb and, “with fear and great joy”, they run, the text says, “to tell his disciples” (Mt 28:8). Now, just as they are going to announce this news, Jesus comes to them.
Let us take good note of this: Jesus meets them as they are going to announce him.
This is beautiful: Jesus meets them while they are going to announce Him.
When we proclaim the Lord, the Lord comes to us. Sometimes we think that the way to be close to God is to keep him close to us; because then, when we reveal ourselves and begin to talk about it, judgements come, criticisms come. Perhaps we do not know how to respond to certain questions or provocations, and so it is better not to talk about it, and to close up: no Instead, the Lord comes while we are proclaiming him.
You always find the Lord on the path of proclamation.
Proclaim the Lord and you will meet him.
Seek the Lord and you will find him. Always on the road, the women teach us: we encounter Jesus by witnessing to him. We meet Jesus by witnessing to him.
Let us give an example. Sometimes we receive wonderful news, such as the birth of a child. So, one of the first things we do is to share this happy announcement with our friends: “You know, I have had a baby… He is beautiful”. And, bin telling it, we also repeat it to ourselves and somehow make it come alive again for us.
If this happens with good news, every day or on some important days, it happens infinitely more with Jesus, who is not only good news, nor even the best news of life, no, but he is life itself, he is “the resurrection and the life” (Jn 11:25).
Every time we proclaim him, not by propaganda or proselytism – that, no: proclaiming is one thing, propaganda and proselytism are another matter – every time we proclaim him, the Lord comes to us.
He comes with respect and love, as the most beautiful gift to be shared. Jesus dwells in us every time we proclaim him.
Let us think again of the women of the Gospel: there was the sealed stone and yet they go to the tomb. There was an entire city that had seen Jesus on the cross and yet they go to the city to announce that he was alive.
Dear brothers and sisters, when we encounters Jesus, no obstacle can prevent us from proclaiming him. If instead we keep his joy to ourselves, perhaps it is because we have not yet truly met him.
Brothers and sisters, before the experience of the women, we ask ourselves: when was the last time we witnessed to Jesus? When was the last time I witnessed to Jesus?
What can I do today so that the people I meet will experience the joy of his proclamation? And again, can anyone say, “This person is serene, happy, good, because he has met Jesus”? Can this be said of each one of us?
Let us ask Our Lady to help us be joyful evangelizers.
