Jesus appears to two women early Easter Sunday morning. Every Catholic man can grow in happiness by building the Virtue of Prayer so he can draw closer to each Person of the Trinity and by pursuing the Virtue of Truth so he can reject lies and life more fully in the Truth of Christ.
Liturgy
Octave of Easter – Monday – Mt 28:8-15
Commentary
In the pre-dawn hours of Easter morning, Mary Magdalene and another Mary (wife of Clopas/Cleopas, close kin of the Blessed Virgin Mary or St. Joseph), who witnessed Jesus’ Crucifixion (Jn 19:25) and helped bury His body in the tomb on Good Friday, return at dawn on Sunday to complete the burial process by ritually anointing Jesus’ body with spices (Lk 24:2). As they arrive, a great earthquake occurs and a spectacular angel opens the tomb, causing the Roman guards to pass out in fear. The angel confirms Jesus has risen and commands the two Marys to tell the Apostles.
Severely frightened by the angel but thrilled by Jesus’ Resurrection, they run to tell the Apostles. Suddenly, Jesus appears and calls to them, “Hail”, a greeting of joy and peace. The two Marys, overwhelmed with fear, fall face down on the ground, and hold on to Jesus’ wounded feet, and worship Him. Jesus, in His mercy, allows the women the blessing of seeing Him face-to-face and the honor of touching His resurrected body, confirming the same gruesomely crucified Jesus they personally buried in the tomb was now mysteriously standing before them. Jesus comforts them, commanding them to not be frightened and instructs the two Marys to tell the Apostles to wait for Him in Galilee. In an act of divine mercy, Jesus calls the Apostles, “brethren”, despite the fact that all of them except John acted like cowards and abandoned Him during the Crucifixion.
Awakening from their death-like state, the Roman guards realize that the body of Jesus has disappeared; in reality, Jesus has been resurrected from the dead. Because it was Roman practice to kill soldiers who lost a prisoner (Acts 12:19, 16:27), fearing for their lives, the soldiers go to the Jewish leaders. The Jews see an opportunity to blackmail the soldiers and deviously pay them to spread the lie that Jesus’ body was stolen by the disciples; they also promise to cover for the soldiers to Pilate.
Be awed by Jesus Christ
Reflect upon the Divine Charity of Jesus as He lovingly performs a Spiritual Work of Mercy (Comfort the Sorrowful) by consoling the sorrowful women who endured His death on the Cross, witnessed the grisly and traumatic task of removing His body from the Cross, and carried out the dreadful task of cleansing and wrapping His tortured dead body in the burial cloths.
Grow closer to each Person of the Trinity in daily prayer
Realize: The Resurrection of Jesus is a mysterious act of the Trinity, and an invitation for men to draw near to God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Believe: Reflect upon The Resurrection as a Work of the Holy Trinity (CCC 648-650).
Pray: Jesus, Person of the Trinity, help me build the Virtue of Prayer (a part of Justice) so I grow in awe of the Trinity, and am inspired to build an ever-deeper relationship with the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Reject lies and live in the Truth of Christ
Realize: The Jewish leadership, confronted with the Roman guards’ credible eyewitness, lie and pay bribe money to suppress the truth of Jesus’ Resurrection; in this new Age of Lies, many individuals and institutions reject truth and promote lies, particularly about moral issues.
Believe: Reflect upon the Offenses Against Truth (CCC 2475-2487, 2507-2510).
Pray: Jesus, Divine Truth, help me grow in the Virtue of Truth (a part of Justice) so I always hold to a fearless and rigorous standard of truthfulness and so I am not fooled by the liars of today.