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Christ is Risen! Christ is Risen, Indeed!
From Luke's Gospel, Chapter 24:1-12: But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb, taking the spices that they had prepared. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in, they did not find the body. While they were perplexed about this, suddenly two men in dazzling clothes stood beside them. The women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, "Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again." Then they remembered his words, and returning from the tomb, they told all this to the eleven and to all the rest. Now it was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them who told this to the apostles. But these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. But Peter got up and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; then he went home, amazed at what had happened.
It was a hurried burial, with no time to properly bury Jesus. It fell to the women, Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary, the mother of James, and the other women with them, to anoint the body with the spices according to their tradition. They come to the tomb and find that the stone had been rolled away. Entering the tomb, they found no body. What they did find were "two men in dazzling clothes," who asked the key question: Why do you seek the living among the dead?
Christ is risen. That was the reality and the message these women experienced on that first Easter Sunday. The women heard and believed and rushed back to tell the disciples,who receive these news as something akin to an idle tale and sadly, "they did not believe them." The last verse, verse 12, added by ancient authorities add that Peter was driven to action, ran to check out the tomb and found just the linen cloths, went home amazed.
Today is a special day that some call the Birthday of the Church, or it could be just another day, depending on your faith. Either something supernatural happened, or it is, as the disciples thought, "an idle tale." You can choose the power of life, or the power of doubt. But whatever you choose, don't choose the third option, the deadly power of apathy.
I choose to believe in the power of God to resurrect Jesus from among the dead, and that same power still at work in the hearts and lives of those who still seek to live among the dead.
PRAYER: Loving God, strengthen my faith and let me believe to the point where I can't keep it to myself any longer! Take my mind, body, soul, and spirit to the place of the living; this dead stuff ain't working for me. I pray in the name of He who rose from the dead, Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! He is Risen!
Eradio Valverde
