Resurrection

Monday's readings Acts 2:14,22-33 Matthew 28:8-15

The Lord is risen. The Lord meets the women. The soldiers are paid to keep quiet. The last line stands out in particular in Matthew as the soldiers took the money and did as instructed, " You are to say, His disciples came by night and stole him while we were asleep." Are  we also paid off to not preach the resurrected Christ?  The climax of our Easter celebration, the ending of Lent, all are periods of great reflection and sacrifice.  This culminated in Sunday's hymn in which the choir sang "Jesus Christ is risen today, Alleluia!

So what is next?  Back to the hustle and bustle of our everyday life?  Back to our daily routine? The secular world is paying us off to move past Easter.  It lulls us to that complacency where we can be no different than that of the guards at Jesus' tomb.  Think for a minute.  Are your ready to back to your usual routine, to return to the things that you might have given up for Lent?  For me the answer is yes. Going back to not fasting on Friday's, to buy music on i-Tunes when I hear a song that captivates me.  I thus become bought off.

Indeed, I should be praying for the strength to carry the message and not immediately gravitate towards those things that I gave up. I should be praying for the strength of Peter, Mary Magdalene, and the first Christians who without hesitation once they realized what had happened and proclaim "I have seen the Lord."