Alleluia! He is Risen!

Alleluia. He is Risen! Imagine the women going to the tomb the day after the Sabbath, “towards dawn on the first day of the week…[S]uddenly there was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord, descending from heaven, came and rolled away the stone and sat on it…[T]he angel spoke, [saying] ‘There is no need for you to be afraid. I know you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, as he said he would. Come and see the place where he lay, then go quickly and tell his disciples, ‘He has risen from the dead and now he is going ahead of you to Galilee; that is where you will see him’’  (Mt. 28: 1-8). As they are on their way to tell the disciples, “suddenly, coming to meet  them was Jesus. ‘Greetings,’ he said.  And the women came  up to him and, clasping his feet, they did him homage. Then Jesus said to them, ‘Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers that they must leave for Galilee; there they will see me’” (Mt. 28: 9-10).

Imagine being witnesses of an angel whose “face was like lightning, his robe white as snow” rolling away the stone that sealed the tomb.  As they are carrying out the angel’s request that they go tell the disciples that the Lord is risen and are to go to Galilee where they will see him, Jesus Himself appears to them and repeats the angels message.  Wow! Truly, the Lord is risen!  Like the angel, we, too, men and women are His messenger, are called to be evangelizers to one another, to share our faith in the Risen Lord. In Galilee, Jesus says to his disciples:  “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, make disciples of all nations; baptize them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teach them to observe all the commands I gave you. And look, I am with you always; yes, to the end of the time” (Mt. 28: 18-20). He was speaking to both men and women, not to men only!

How faithful am I to proclaiming the Gospel with my life and, if necessary, using words, as St. Francis teaches.