Easter 2023
Our Easter Gospel reading takes place at a tomb in a garden. Mary arrived while it was still dark, but she noticed the stone had been rolled away. Quickly, she set off for Peter and John. They soon made their way to the garden and noticed that the burial garments had been removed. This Gospel account indicates that none of them immediately understood what we know today – that Jesus Christ conquered sin and death through his Resurrection to life!
How blessed we are to know this! Easter is an occasion for immense gratitude! We are eternally thankful for Jesus’ great sacrifice, his mercy, the Holy Catholic Church, the Holy Eucharist, the Blessed Mother, the Rosary, the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, the angels and saints, for God’s great faithfulness and most importantly – that Jesus opened the door to eternal life.
When the disciples finally realized this, they began to model for us what we ought to do. In the first reading, Peter says “We are witnesses of all that he [Jesus] did.” The Responsorial Psalm exclaims, “I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the LORD.” The Second Reading recommends that we “seek what is above.”
Just as the stone in front of the tomb was rolled away to reveal Jesus’ Resurrection, our lives right now are “hidden in Christ.” One day, we too will appear with him in glory. In the meantime, the joy of this blessed expectation is not something to keep hidden, but to proclaim like the apostles “to the ends of the earth.” Evangelism becomes our act of gratitude for this day and for the joy to come!
At Catholic Cemeteries, we strive to be witnesses to what happened in the garden on Easter Sunday. Ours is the testimony we profess in the Nicene Creed as we “look forward to the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come.” We wish you a very blessed and joyful Easter!
