The celebration of the liturgical season of Easter began yesterday and will continue for fifty days until we get to the Solemnity of Pentecost. This first week of Easter is known as the Octave of Easter. It is composed of eight days, beginning with Easter Sunday and ending with Divine Mercy Sunday. As we celebrate the liturgies for the days of the Easter Octave, the gospel passages are taken from the accounts that took place on the same day: the day of the Resurrection. It is as though these eight days are only one day.
The gospel proposed for today's Mass retells the moment when Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went quickly from the tomb, fearful yet overjoyed (Mt 28:8). They had witnessed the empty tomb and they had encountered an angel who had told them that Jesus was risen from the dead. If this was true, it would have confirmed what Jesus himself had told them, but they were fearful because what the angel had told them wasn't logical. It would be more logical to believe that someone else had opened the tomb and hidden Jesus' body. No one had ever been raised from the dead, except for Lazarus. Could it be that Jesus too had been raised from the dead? If this was true, then all that he had told them about God the Father and about the kingdom of heaven must also be true.
As they were running from the tomb, Jesus met them on their way and greeted them (Mt 28:9). We are not told what words Jesus used, but the women recognized him, approached, embraced his feet and did him homage. Then Jesus gave them a mission: Do not be afraid. Go tell my brothers to go to Galilee (Mt 28:10). This is the same for all of us. When Jesus appears to us, when he comes close to us in prayer, when he makes himself known to us, he meets us wherever we are, on our way, and he greets us with words that make our hearts instantly warm. We want to approach him, to embrace him, for we too are filled with his joy ... and he gives us a mission: Do not be afraid. Go ... tell my brothers and sisters about this encounter that we have experienced together.
Today, let us ask the Lord to give us this grace: to fill us with the same joy that he gave to the women. Armed with that joy, we can overcome every fear, and we can go out to our brothers and sisters to tell them the good news.
Have a great day.
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