Today we stand at the entrance of the empty tomb and must decide for ourselves what it all means. Was Jesus’ body stolen? Was it perhaps misplaced in a different tomb and they forgot where they had buried him? Or did he, in fact and in truth, rise from the dead? Physically, with a body?
Our faith and our life depend on what we believe. Notice the apostles and the first persons to go to the tomb, notably Mary Magdalene, had thought the worst. What changed her sorrow to joy and her despair to hope wasn’t the empty tomb but a personal encounter with the Risen Lord.
For her especially, the death and resurrection of Jesus were not about theology but about a personal relationship. “Messiah”, “Savior” and “Son of God” did not mean as much to her as did the word “friend.” She had lost the person dearest to her heart and she mourned his death and had been devastated when his body was missing from the tomb.
Tears must have blurred her vision and sorrow her judgment when she at first mistook Jesus for the gardener. But when she heard her name spoken as only the way a lover can, the veil was lifted and she recognized the Lord. We cannot even begin to imagine her joy unless we think how wonderful it will be on that day when we meet our deceased family and friends again after our own resurrection from the dead. Our hearts could not contain such joy; it would overflow to everyone around us.
Meanwhile, back in Jerusalem, the brave disciples were huddled together behind locked doors wondering when the Romans would come for them. They had no time for Mary Magdalene’s hysterical nonsense that Jesus was risen. (What do women know about these things any way?) But just to be safe. Peter and John went to check things out.
For many years now, but especially this past Holy Week, the Catholic Church has walked its own Way of the Cross. To be sure and to be honest, we are more like the two thieves crucified with our Lord than we are like the Lord himself. He was innocent while we suffer the consequences of our sins. We can be like the Bad Thief who thought only of saving himself, overlooking the evil deeds that got him nailed to a cross; or we could in all humility be like the Good Thief and take responsibility for our actions and only hope Jesus remembers us when he comes into his kingdom.
Maybe the Church still has to die in order to rise. Maybe we need to give up more power in order to once again speak with authority. Maybe we need to stop letting politics cloud our vision so we might more clearly see with the eyes of faith. Maybe we need to actually put our faith in the Risen Lord and stop placing our hope in the remnants and trappings of the Roman Empire.
In order to survive, much less change, the Church needs not only to believe in and proclaim the resurrection of Jesus, we need to personally encounter the Risen Lord.
Until we do, all our proclamations and beliefs will be hollow echoes in an empty tomb.
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