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_{Easter Sunday
April 12, 2009} 

          The Gospel of this Easter Sunday gets the resurrection of Jesus off to a slow and uncertain start.  Mary Magdalene comes to the tomb of Jesus "while it is still dark."  There are no angels to assure her that Jesus has been risen from the dead.  There is as yet no risen Jesus, aglow with the brilliance of his victory over death.  There is only this lonely woman in the dark with just enough light for her to see that the tombstone has been removed.  What does this mean?

          Running to Simon Peter and the Beloved Disciple, Mary blurts out her interpretation of the removed tomb stone:  "They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we don't know where they put him."  There is still no hint of resurrection in these words but rather the suspicion that some people, perhaps grave robbers, have carried off the body of Jesus.

Pater and the other disciple run to the tomb to check out Mary's report.  All they see are the burial cloths.  That is enough evidence to believe Mary's report that the body of Jesus is missing.  Beyond that we are told, "They did not understand the Scripture that he (Jesus) had to rise from the dead."  They are still in the dark with Mary Magdalene.

          In the following paragraph of John's Gospel, Mary takes another look into the tomb.  This time she sees two angels sitting where the body of Jesus had been.  When they ask her why she is weeping, she repeats the report she gave to Peter and the other disciple: "They have taken my Lord, and I don’t know where they laid him.'  Mary doesn't have a clue that Jesus is alive.         

Even when Mary turns and sees Jesus she initially does not recognize him.  Through her tear-drenched eyes she thinks he is the gardener.  Only when Jesus addresses her as "Mary" does the darkness become light enough for her to call him "Rabbouni" or "Teacher" and embrace him.  What a hug that must have been!

          Jesus then commissions Mary as the "apostle to the apostles" and sends her to tell them, "I am going to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God."  Obediently she reports to them, "I have seen the Lord."  Those five words are the Best News of Easter we have been waiting to hear.

          What does this slow, uncertain beginning of the Easter story tell us?  It tells us that the resurrection of Jesus is edged with initial doubt.  Each of our four Gospels has an element of disbelief about this fantastic phenomenon.

          Mark's longer ending says of Mary Magdalene's report, "When his companions heard that he was alive and had been seen by her, they did not believe."  Matthew writes of Jesus' Easter appearance on the mountain in Galilee, "When they saw him, they worshipped, but they doubted."  Luke's risen Jesus chides the two disciples with whom he walked to Emmaus, "Oh, how foolish you are!  How slow of heart to believe..."  John adds the apostle Thomas' statement, "Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger into the nail marks and put my hand into his side, I will not believe."

          Even though doubts are an integral part of the resurrection story, this was only the beginning of the Easter adventure.  Without these doubts, the story might have looked like an account concocted by unscrupulous myth-makers for the benefit of those gullible folks who also believe that the moon is made of cheese and that there is some ocean front land for sale in Arizona.         

As early Christians told and retold this story and celebrated it in grand style, doubts gave way to unshakable faith so well expressed by St. Paul in this Year of St. Paul:  "I handed on to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures; that he was buried; that he was raised up on the third day in accordance with the scriptures; that he appeared to Peter, then to the Twelve.  After that he appeared to more than 500 at once, most of who are still living...After that he appeared to James, then to all the apostles.  Last of all...he appeared to me." (1 Cor 15:3-8)

          Today our Easter Jesus, the risen Jesus appears to us as well.  We hear his words in our Scripture readings.  We will soon receive his Body and Blood in the Eucharist.  Thus we are able to proclaim with believing and joyful hearts, “CHRIST IS RISEN! ALLELUIA! ALLELUIA! ALLELUIA!"