Romana

“But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices which they had prepared” (Lk 24:1). The same women who had followed our Lord to the Cross are now going to embalm the dead body of Jesus. It was a gesture that no one else dared to do out of fear for the authorities. Neither the people who acclaimed Him when he entered Jerusalem, nor the apostles: only these women. Their courageous attitude reveals the mission of the “feminine genius” in the world, as Pope Francis said: “They teach us to value rightly, to love tenderly, to make the world a beautiful place” (Pope Francis, Homily, 9 February 2017). While the rest of Jesus’ followers remained locked up in their despair, they wanted to show this last small sign of affection for our Lord’s body. They were convinced that by doing so the world, even amid the deepest darkness, would be a bit more beautiful.

God, however, had a surprise in store for these women. Instead of the dead body of Jesus, they found two angels who said to them: “Why do you seek the living among the dead?” (Lk 24:5). Those who follow Christ faithfully open themselves to surprises like this. He always exceeds our expectations, our dreams, our plans. These women were content to say a final farewell to their Lord, and suddenly they receive this news: Jesus is alive. So bewildered and frightened were they that they simply stood “with their faces bowed to the ground” (Lk 24:5). But recalling Jesus’ words, that it was fitting He be crucified in order to rise again, their fear quickly turns to joy. And this was their reaction: to announce to everyone that Jesus had risen. In a certain sense, one could say that they were “apostles of apostles.”

This mission wasn’t something imposed on them, but the most natural thing they could do. It is the spontaneous impulse of someone who has received a gift that fills their heart and changes their life: Christ is alive. This is the foundation of our faith, of our hope, of our love: Jesus has risen. He has broken the chains of death. Evil no longer has the final word, but rather the Son of God. We Christians, like these women, have to communicate this news to others. God has shown us his immense love in Christ who died and rose for each one of us.

“As Christ is risen from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we also may walk in newness of life,” writes Saint Paul (Rom 6:4). Jesus’ resurrection has renewed our whole life. This certainty makes all our actions fruitful, although often it is not entirely visible. This is the strength of the new life of the resurrection.

“Why do you seek the living among the dead?” (Lk 24:5). This new life makes our Lord the center of our yearnings and deepest desires. If we base our happiness on things here below – on pleasure, on success, on wealth… – it is as though we were searching among the dead for the one who is alive. Christ invites us to raise our sights, to live with the certainty that we are loved by Him. That love, which doesn’t change, fulfills the deepest desires of our heart.

As Saint Josemaría said, the resurrection “shows us that God does not abandon his own . . . His delight is still to be with the children of men.” Christ remains among us in his Church, especially in the Eucharist, “the source and the culmination of his presence in the world” (Saint Josemaría, Christ Is Passing By, no. 102). And He also remains in each one, just as He had promised the apostles: “If anyone love me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him, and will make our abode with him” (Jn 14:23). Every Christian is called to identify himself or herself with Christ: to think, react and act as our Lord would; in short, to seek union with Jesus in everything we do.

We have the right to think that the first person to whom the Risen Jesus appeared was his Mother. During the three previous days, Mary would have awaited this moment with a hope that overflowed in joy at having Him with her again. We can ask our Lady to help us accompany the Risen Jesus with the same joy, knowing that a new life has been opened to us.