Now that the Easter Season is upon us, let us take time to reflect on the extraordinary and undeserved gift we have received through Jesus’ passion, death, and resurrection — our sins have been forgiven and we are now sharers of eternal life with Christ. The second reading from the Easter Sunday Mass says that we too have been raised to life with Christ (Colossians 3:1).

Even though we celebrate Easter once a year, it is not intended to be a once a year event in our lives. We should continually reflect on Jesus’ resurrection, and experience more deeply our own risen life in Christ on an ongoing basis. Just think, because of what Jesus Christ accomplished through his passion, death, and resurrection, our Heavenly Father has “delivered us from the power of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” (Colossians 1:13-14).

He Has Risen, Alleluia! The first part of the title for this article: “He Has Risen” comes from Matthew 28:6, when the angel said to the women at the empty tomb the following words:

He is not here, for he has been raised just as he said. (Matthew 28:6)

The centrality of the resurrection of Christ forms the whole basis of our faith. Listen to howSt. Paulstates this in Romans 10:9:

If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10:9)

And St. Paul goes even further in stressing the importance of this truth in 1 Corinthians 15:14

And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. (1 Corinthians 15:14)

We Have Risen With Him, Alleluia! The second part of the title: “We Have Risen With Him” comes from Colossians 2:12 and 3:1-4.

You were buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead. Colossians 2:12

You have been raised to life with Christ, Set your heart then on things that are in heaven, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Let your thoughts dwell on things there, not on things here on earth. For you have died, and your life lies hidden with Christ in God. Your real life is Christ, and when he appears, then you too will appear with him in glory. (Colossians 3:1-4)

This important truth is also expressed in other Scriptures as well:

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20)

So whoever is in Christ is a new creation: the old things have passed away; behold, new things have come.

(2 Corinthians 5:17)

If we really believe in our hearts what we profess with our lips, then not only has Christ died and been raised to life for us, but we too have been crucified with him. In Christ, we have died and have been buried, and on the third day we too have been raised to life again in him. How do we know this? Isn’t this what these Scriptures tell us?

Obstacles to Living out the Truths of Our Faith: Because we are fallen human beings, living out these truths is still a work in progress. 2 Corinthians 3:18 says it this way:

And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. (2 Corinthians 3:18)

The Lord desires to transform each one of us into his image and likeness, so we can live out the new life he won for us. Unfortunately, we are sinners and so we all have obstacles that can get in the way of doing this, including:

• Past hurts, wounds, memories, disappointments
• Our fallen nature, e.g.,
• Impatience, anger, intolerance
• Wanting to be in control
• Judgmentalism, negativity, critical spirit
• Self-reliance, independence, isolation
• Self-centeredness, self-love, selfishness
• Balancing family, work, and service to the Lord
• Health issues
• Etc., Etc., Etc.

Promises of God: Yet in spite of these obstacles, we have these wonderful promises of God.

And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age. (Matthew 28:20)

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. (John 14:27)

I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world. (John 16:33)

God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?” (Hebrews 13:5,6)

Overcoming Obstacles: What are some ways to overcome these obstacles?

• Believe in and surrender to God’s love for you.
• Rely on the truths of who you are in Christ, not the lies of the evil one or your flesh.
• Remember the promises of God as you come before the Lord in prayer each day and during the day
• Believe that God can and desires to heal you
• Believe in the power of prayer.
• Frequent partaking of the graces that flow from the Sacraments, especially the Eucharist and the Sacrament of Reconciliation

No matter where we are right now in our walk with the Lord. No matter what issues we have in our life:

• Christ’s victory over sin and death is our victory.
• Christ’s risen life is always available to us
• Jesus is true to his name. Jesus is “Immanuel”: God with us.
• Jesus will never leave us or forsake us.

Let’s ask the Lord for the grace to live out these Easter truths everyday of our lives. He Has Risen, Alleluia! We Have Risen With Him, Alleluia!

Dear Lord, during this grace-filled Easter season, I ask you to continue to deepen the experience of your risen life in me, so I can bear witness to it to others.

Questions for Reflection/Discussion by Catholic Men

1. Take some time to meditate and reflect on the Scriptures in the article. What do you believe the Holy Spirit wants to reveal to you through these Scriptures?

2. Why is the resurrection of Jesus Christ so central to our faith?

3. How frequently do you reflect on the fact that Jesus Christ is risen and you are risen with him? What steps can you take to do it more often?

4. We all have obstacles that keep us from living the risen life, the new life in Christ. How would you describe the obstacles you have?

5. The article lists several ways to help us overcome these obstacles. Which of these are you using in your life right now?

6. What additional steps can you take to overcome any obstacles in your life?

7. Take some time now to pray that you would experience more deeply the transforming power of the risen life of Christ during this Easter Season. Use the prayer at the end of the article as a starting point.

But little as we know about Ancient Author, it’s easy to see we psalm-sayers have something in common with him: the liturgy of the Easter season. For all the change in the Mass and the Hours over the years, the liturgy has retained its essential nature, and, shall we say, it’s “flavor”. Ancient Author mentions in his sermon that at Easter, the Christian community, together with the prophet sings the psalm which belongs to this yearly festival: ”This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad.” (from Ps.118)

This very line is an antiphon we use every day this week both at Morning and Evening Prayer, as the responsory to the reading, plus the entire psalm 118  appears in the psalter several times during the octave. It’s such a favorite verse for me, that n our home  we say  it along with “The Lord is risen/He is truly risen” as a preface to grace before meals every day this week.  It’s  a way to keep the family Easter-aware.

So, it’s kind of a thrill to have this little bond, over so many centuries, to the anonymous holy man who wrote today’s second reading. That he too, after days of mourning and fasting, uttered these words with joy an relief during this same glorious week each year. That my praying of these words is part and parcel of the same eternal liturgy that Ancient Author is still praying now, in the unending Day.

It’s a bit ridiculous to plan an agenda for what I’ll do in heaven, but I like to imagine that I’ll ask around and locate Ancient Author. We’ll clasp hands (however this is done by disembodied souls), and greet each other with: This IS the day that the Lord has made, the endless day, alleluia!

Weekly Q&A time:  Anything that puzzles/confuses/alarms/mystifies  you about the Liturgy of the Hours or the breviary can be brought up in the comments section.

Meanwhile, he’s actually started attending church, with cameras rolling as he and the family make their way across Lafayette Park to St. John’s, across from the White House.

Of course, it takes only a low simmer of skepticism to come to the conclusion that all this has more to do with appealing to various blocs of voters than it does a sudden religious awakening on the part of the president, though I suppose anything’s possible.

The latest example is today’s weekly address, which sounds like it could have been delivered by [Archbishop Timothy Dolan]:

Yesterday, many of us took a few quiet moments to try and fathom the tremendous sacrifice Jesus made for all of us. Tomorrow, we will celebrate the resurrection of a savior who died so that we might live. And throughout these sacred days, we recommit ourselves to following His example.

Obama has gotten so graphic in his religious phrasing that I’m wondering exactly what the most bellicose advocates of separation of church and state would be saying if George W. Bush starting using such language.

Have a listen to this week’s address.

If you doubt this has anything to do with the campaign, note that last year, Obama didn’t even bother to devote an address to Easter. And in 2010, Obama offered “holiday greetings” as opposed to this year’s “Easter and Passover greetings,” and he barely got into any specifics about Christianity.

Obama already has the politically correct crowd in his pocket. He needs to make some inroads among the faithful in places like Pennsylvania and Ohio.

And if that means clinging to his Bible, he’ll do it.

Editor’s note: The content of this article has been abbreviated.

On Palm Sunday, the narrative of our Lord’s Passion ended with these words:  “Then they rolled a stone against the entrance to the tomb” (Mk 15:46b).  Jesus’ dead Body had been quickly prepared for burial, because the Sabbath sundown approached, and He was laid in the fresh tomb of a rich man.  Then, for His followers, there was silence and utter desolation.  We can only imagine how much “rest” they got on what must have been the longest Sabbath day of their lives.

Today, St. John tells us, “On the first day of the week, Mary of Magdala came to the tomb early in the morning, while it was still dark” (Jn 20:1).  Now that the Sabbath was over, she was coming to finish the burial anointing.  Why did she arrive so early, before dawn?  Anyone who has grieved over the death of a loved one knows the answer to this question.  The finality of death, even for those prepared for its arrival, is literally un-believable.  We cannot bear the thought of not seeing this dear one again.  Mary had the opportunity to be near Jesus once more, to see and touch Him.  Even in death, He drew her to Him with an irresistible force.

Mary saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb.  Shock!  We can feel her eagerness to be with Jesus again, yet He was not in the tomb.  St. John wants us to see that the followers of Jesus were slow to understand what He had told them many times:  He would rise from the dead.  Mary believed that someone had taken the Lord and put Him elsewhere.  Imagine this for a moment:  profound grief was compounded by profound horror.  For Mary, the empty tomb was not a source of joy.  It was an agonizing twist in what was becoming a nightmare.

Peter and John (“the other disciple whom Jesus loved”) ran to the tomb with Mary’s news.  They, too, were drawn to the Lord in this energetic race.  John arrived first, but notice his deference to Peter, the Lord’s own appointed leader of the apostles.  Once inside, they quickly realized that grave robbers were not responsible for the absence of Jesus.  The burial cloths (fine, expensive linen) would never have been left behind by robbers this way.   No, something big was underway.  St. John tells us that when he entered the tomb and saw the burial cloths, “…he believed” (Jn 20:8).  What did he believe?  Only that Jesus was really gone from the tomb—itself a great mystery.  He goes on to make that clear:  “For they did not yet understand the Scripture that He had to rise from the dead” (Jn 20:9).

So, on Easter Sunday, the Gospel reading leaves us with only clues.  How interesting!  There is not, as we might expect, the boundless joy of the disciples seeing Jesus alive again.  Instead, we spend time with His followers in their longing, anxiety, sadness, and utter confusion.  We, of course, know what’s going on, but they don’t as yet.  St. John wants us to linger for a spell in the very human reactions to an astounding miracle.  He helps us feel deeply the question that boggled the disciples:  What has happened to Jesus?  It is only by entering fully into this human dilemma that we are truly prepared for the answer:  Jesus has conquered Death.  The worst thing that has ever happened in human history (men killed the “Author of life,” Acts 3:15) has become the best thing that has ever happened in human history, and man’s history has been changed forever.

Possible response:  Lord Jesus, sometimes I am shocked that You don’t seem to be where I expect You.  Help me believe that what I feel is Your absence will always lead to Your Presence.

First Reading (Read Acts 10:34a, 37-43)

If we think about what we have seen of Peter in the readings for Holy Week, this passage from Acts might leave us asking a question:  What has happened to Peter?  We remember him on Palm Sunday, denying the Lord three times and fleeing when Jesus was crucified.  Today’s Gospel tells us that Mary Magdalene had to go fetch Peter with her news, because he and the other apostles were hiding “for fear of the Jews” (Jn 20:19).  Yet here we see him boldly preaching the Good News (to the same Jews who had terrified him) that death could not hold Jesus.  We see the effects in him of the Resurrection—more clues to its reality.   Peter testifies not only to “Jesus of Nazareth,” Who “went about doing good” (Acts 10:38), but also to the fact that he “ate and drank with Him after He rose from the dead” (Acts 10:41).   The commission he and the other apostles received from the Risen Jesus, confirmed by the anointing of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, turned Peter inside out.  What a transformation from the befuddlement of the empty tomb!  Freed from his cowardice and fear, he wanted the world to know that Jesus is alive and that “everyone who believes in Him will receive forgiveness of sins through His Name” (Acts 10:43).

Possible response:  Lord, this Easter season, please loosen my tongue to bear witness to Your empty tomb and to the meal we still eat and drink with You in the Mass.

Psalm (Read Ps 118:1-2, 16-17, 22-23)

The psalmist announces:  “This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad.”  Great joy like this might make us wonder about its cause:  What has happened to the psalmist?  If we read the entire psalm, we see he describes a time of unthinkable reversal in his life, when he was in terrible distress, and his enemies surrounded him “like bees” that “blazed like a fire of thorns” (Ps 118:12).  He recounts that he was “pushed hard, so that I was falling, but the LORD helped me” (Ps 118:13).  In fact, the LORD’s deliverance sprung him from death:  “I shall not die but live, and declare the works of the LORD” (Ps 118:17).  Yet what really seems to fuel the psalmist’s elation is that “the stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone” (Ps 118:22).  The psalmist’s enemies had rejected him, but God upset their plans to be rid of him, and, instead, set him like a cornerstone, a rock of solid strength.  Now we understand the joy of the psalmist, and why we are using his words to rejoice on Resurrection Sunday.  The reversal he experienced from God’s mighty hand ignited his heart to sing God’s praises on the day of his deliverance and victory.  His words help us re-live this Day the exquisite joy of Jesus’ victory over sin and death, our most feared enemies.  When the meaning of the empty tomb washes over us, we will echo the psalmist’s awe:  “By the LORD has this been done; it is wonderful in our eyes!” (Ps 118:23)

Possible response:  The psalm is, itself, a response to our other readings.  Read it again prayerfully to make it your own.

Second Reading (Read Col 3:1-4)

In his epistle, St. Paul writes a most remarkable exhortation to his Christian friends (and to us):  “Think of what is above, not of what is on earth” (Col 3:2).  Why should we, earthbound creatures that we are, be seeking what is above?  What has happened to us?  St. Paul tells us that the death and Resurrection of Jesus, our focal point all during Holy Week, has happened to us, too.  In baptism, we died with Christ and rose again with Him into a brand new life.  The power that raised Jesus from the dead has seated us with Christ:  “Your life is hidden with Christ in God” (Col 3:3).  What a transformation for us!  The empty tomb of the first Easter has reverberated all the way out to us now, in the 21^st century.  Its meaning is not only historical but personal.  In Christ, we are forgiven our sins, released from death, and destined for glory:  “When Christ your life appears, then you will appear with Him in glory” (Col 3:4).  Allelulia!

Possible response: Father, forgive me when I try to make life on this earth my only goal.  Help me to set my mind on heaven.

Three days in a row at church?  Maybe it sounded miserable when you were six, but this year you’re much older and wiser.  More importantly, you have gotten to know the person of Jesus Christ.  And there is no better or more fitting way to commemorate Christ’s passion, death, and resurrection than participating in the Easter Triduum.

What is the Easter Triduum?

The word “Triduum” can mean any three-day period of prayer that typically precedes a feast day.  The Easter Triduum (or Paschal Triduum) is the three days of prayer that precede the celebration of Easter.  These three days see the celebration of the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday, a Good Friday service that recalls the passion and death of Jesus Christ, and finally, the three days culminate in the celebration of Christ’s Resurrection at the Easter Vigil, after nightfall on Holy Saturday but before dawn on Easter Sunday.

Holy Thursday (that’s today!)

Tonight we celebrate the Mass of the Lord’s Supper (your parish probably has this mass tonight around 7pm).  At this mass, we commemorate the Last Supper of Jesus (as, of course, we do at every mass—but in a special way tonight).  We recall Jesus’ words to the twelve in Luke’s Gospel on the night he was handed over, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.” We recall Christ’s washing of the apostles’ feet in the institution of the priesthood, and the institution of the Eucharist.  The mass will end with the procession of the Blessed Sacrament out of the church to a place of repose, where the faithful are typically able and encouraged to stay and pray for a period of time.  The altar in the church is then stripped and crosses are covered with a red or purple veil.  This is a perfect way to prepare for Good Friday.  Celebrate with Christ the Passover meal, and enter with him into the Garden to pray.

Good Friday

Good Friday is the day that we commemorate the passion and death of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  This is the one day out of the entire year that the Catholic Church does not celebrate the mass.  Instead, there is a Good Friday service (usually takes place in the afternoon) that typically consists of the Liturgy of the Word, veneration of the Cross, and communion (the communion hosts received at this service were consecrated at the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday).  This is a solemn day on which Catholics are obliged to fast.  Especially between the hours of 12 and 3pm, the faithful are called to meditate on the passion and death of Jesus Christ.

The Easter Vigil

The “mother of all holy vigils”, on this night, the Church keeps vigil for the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.  It is also at this mass that the Church welcomes its newest members through the sacraments of initiation (baptism, confirmation, and Eucharist).  You will not find a more joy-filled or a more glorious celebration on this earth than the Easter Vigil.  A lot more could be said, but words just won’t do it justice.  :)

The goal of our worship, of our liturgy, as Catholics is communion with God.  Over these next three days during which we commemorate the good news of our faith as Christians, what better way to be united with God than to walk the steps of Jesus along with the Church?  To participate in the Mass of the Lord’s Supper this evening, to enter with Christ into the Garden tonight, to walk with him on the road to Calvary tomorrow, to wait in haste on Saturday and keeping vigil into the night, ultimately celebrating his resurrection from the dead and victory over sin.

O happy fault, O necessary sin of Adam, which gained for us so great a Redeemer!

In this prophetic and symbolic act, Ravasi writes, Jesus draws a sharp contrast between a religion of superficiality and self-absorption and a pure faith, centered on his person. God can no longer be present in a Temple that has ceased to be a place of encounter, the “meeting tent” of the ancient Hebrews; that Temple, however magnificently constructed, had become a place of superstition and self-interest. In cleansing the Temple, Jesus is declaring that God is now present to his people in a new and perfect way and in a new “meeting tent”: the incarnate Son, “the Word … made flesh” who dwells among us, “full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). He, Jesus, is the new Temple, and to recognize that and live in this new mode of the divine Presence one must “remember,” as St. John writes at the end of the Temple-cleansing story (2:22).

And remember what? Remember Easter. Remember the Resurrection. Through the prism of that extraordinary event that changed both history and nature, everything comes into clearer focus. Only a mature, paschal faith—an Easter faith—can perceive who Jesus is, understand what Jesus taught, and grasp what Jesus has accomplished by his obedience to the Father. Only in the power of this paschal “memory,” Cardinal Ravasi concludes, can we recognize that Jesus is the Christ, the Holy One of God.

Easter faith—the faith which proclaims that “he … rose again on the third day”—is not one article of Christian conviction among others. As St. Paul teaches in 1 Corinthians 15, Easter faith is that conviction on which the entire edifice of Christianity is built. Without Easter, nothing makes sense and Jesus is a false prophet, even a maniac. With Easter, all that has been obscure about his life, his teaching, his works and his fate becomes radiantly clear: this Risen One is the “first-born among many brethren” (Rom 8:29); he is the new Temple (Rev 21:22); and by embracing him we enter the dwelling place of God among us (Rev 21:3).

In the Gospel readings of the Easter Octave, the Church annually remembers the utterly unprecedented nature of the paschal event, and how it exploded expectations of what God’s decisive action in history would be. No one gets it, at first; for what has happened bursts the previous limits of human understanding. The women at the empty tomb don’t understand, and neither do Peter and John. The disciples on the road to Emmaus do not understand until they encounter the Risen One in the Eucharist, the great gift of paschal life, offered by the new Temple, the divine Presence, himself. At one encounter with the Risen Lord, the Eleven think they’re seeing a ghost; later, up along the Sea of Galilee, it takes awhile for Peter and John to recognize that “It is the Lord!” (John 21:7).  These serial episodes of incomprehension, carefully recorded by the early Church, testify to the shattering character of Easter, which changed everything: the first disciples’ understanding of history, of life-beyond-death, of worship and its  relationship to time (thus Sunday, the day of Easter, becomes the Sabbath of the New Covenant).

Easter also changed the first disciples’ understanding of themselves and their responsibilities. They were the privileged ones who must keep alive the memory of Easter: in their preaching, in their baptizing and breaking of bread, and ultimately in the new Scriptures they wrote. They were the ones who must take the Gospel of the Risen One to “all nations,” in the sure knowledge that he would be with them always (Matt 28:19-20).

They were to “be transformed” (Rom 12:2). So are we.

George Weigel is Distinguished Senior Fellow of the Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington, D.C. 

What Happened to Mary at the Tomb?

If we look at the scriptural accounts of Jesus’ resurrection, we can see that a group of women led by Mary Magdalene brought spices to anoint Jesus’ body. Why would they do this if they believed Jesus’ promise that he would rise again? They must have been convinced that he was dead. In essence, they allowed good human logic to replace faith in Jesus’ promises. But then, just as they were wondering how to roll away the stone that covered his tomb, they found that it had already been moved for them. They must have wondered what happened. They must have been puzzled as to why the guards had abandoned their post as well.

Even more disturbing than the missing guards and the rolled-away stone was the fact that Jesus’ body was missing. Still assuming that he was dead, they wondered whether someone had taken his body, perhaps as a hoax or worse, to defile it in some way. That’s when two angels appeared, dressed in pure white robes. “Why do you seek the living one among the dead?” They asked. “He is not here, but he has been raised” (Luke 24:5-6).

Any doubts that Mary and the other women might have had were erased once the angels spoke to them. Any worries about where the body was or about what had just happened were removed. Their faith returned, and it even increased! They realized that Jesus had overcome even death itself. He did what he promised to do, and they were filled with amazement. Does the reality of Jesus’ resurrection fill you with joy and amazement? It really should!

Take a Second Look

What happened to Mary before she saw the angel can happen to us as well. We too can doubt Jesus. We too can be fooled by the philosophies of the world. We too can fall into the trap of making human logic the primary basis for our faith. But if we do this, we will end up minimizing Easter, seeing it as a good event but not giving it the highest place in our hearts. We will never find the living God among the “dead” ways of this world. We will find him only as we seek him in faith, only as we knock on his door and ask him to open to us.

While there are many similarities between John’s account of the resurrection and the three other Gospels, one difference is that according to John, Mary actually met Jesus before she went to tell Peter and the others about the empty tomb. At first, Mary didn’t recognize Jesus. It sounds incredible, doesn’t it? How could she not know him? She knew what he looked like and how his voice sounded. She had spent a lot of time with him, so she would have known his mannerisms. Still, Mary looked right at Jesus but couldn’t tell who he was. Is it possible that this happened because Mary was too convinced that Jesus was dead to believe otherwise, even when he was standing right in front of her?

Whatever the reason, Mary did recognize Jesus when he called her by name. It was in her second look that she finally saw him for who he is. Sometimes this is just what we need—a second look. Sometimes our first look doesn’t go far enough. Sometimes logic or fear or worry or doubt get in the way and keep us from looking deeper. Sometimes these distractions keep us from simply throwing ourselves into prayer, into the Scriptures, and letting Jesus set our hearts on fire.

Easter Is …

Brothers, Easter is expectation. Easter is enthusiasm. Easter is anticipation. Easter is exhilaration. Easter is God’s own power and energy. It calls for a second look, and a third look, and even a fourth look. Easter is nothing less than the promise of eternal life.

So thank God for the miracle of Easter. What happened on that first Easter Sunday is incomprehensible to the human mind. But while no one can fully understand it, everyone can believe it. Why? Because people like Mary and the other women, the eleven apostles, the disciples on the road to Emmaus, and everybody else who saw the risen Jesus could not possibly deny what they experienced. Why else? Because Jesus himself promised to bless those who could not see him and touch him but believed. And he never makes a promise he cannot keep.

(Joe Difato is the publisher of The Word Among Us devotional magazine. To contact him, go to his website at www.joedifato.com. Many thanks to The Word Among Us (http://www.wau.org/) for allowing us to use his articles from their 2009 Easter Issue. Used with permission.)

Questions for Reflection/Discussion

1. Mary Magdalene and the other women heard the angels speak these words at Jesus’ tomb: “Why do you seek the living one among the dead? He is not here, but he has been raised” (Luke 24:5-6). The article says that when they heard these words: “Any doubts that Mary and the other women might have had were erased once the angels spoke to them. Any worries about where the body was or about what had just happened were removed. Their faith returned, and it even increased! They realized that Jesus had overcome even death itself. He did what he promised to do, and they were filled with amazement.” What about you: “Does the reality of Jesus’ resurrection fill you with joy and amazement?” Why or why not?
2. The article goes on to say that “Whatever the reason, Mary did recognize Jesus when he called her by name. It was in her second look that she finally saw him for who he is. Sometimes this is just what we need—a second look. Sometimes our first look doesn’t go far enough. Sometimes logic or fear or worry or doubt get in the way and keep us from looking deeper. Sometimes these distractions keep us from simply throwing ourselves into prayer, into the Scriptures, and letting Jesus set our hearts on fire.” What are the “distractons” in your life that keep you from turning to Jesus and more fully allowing him to “set our hearts on fire” for him? What role does your prayer life and Scripture reading play in this? What can you do to deepen these areas?
3. “Easter is expectation. Easter is enthusiasm. Easter is anticipation. Easter is exhilaration. Easter is God’s own power and energy. . . Easter is nothing less than the promise of eternal life.” What do these words mean to you?
4. What steps can you take individually, or as a group, to experience more deeply the transforming power of the risen Christ in your life?