1st Reading Genesis 1: 1-2:2 (Ps. 104:1-2a, 5-6, 10 and 12, 13-14, 24 and 35c —R. cf 30)
2nd Reading Genesis 22: 1-18 (Ps. 16: 5 and 8, 9-10, 11 — R. 1)
3rd Reading Exodus 14:15-15:1 (Ps. Exodus 15: 1b-2, 3-4, 5-6, 17-18 — R.1b)
4th Reading Isaiah 54: 5-14 (Ps. 30: 2 and 4, 5-6, 11-12a and 13b — R. 2a)
5th Reading Isaiah 55: 1-11 (Ps. Isa. 12: 2-3, 4bcde, 5-6 — R. 3)
6th Reading Baruch 3: 9-15, 32 -4: 4 (Ps. 19: 8, 9, 10, 11— Jn. 6:6c)
7th Reading Ezekiel 36: 16-17a, 18-28 (Ps. 42:3, 5bcd; 43:3, 4 — R. 42:2)
Epistle Romans 6: 3-11
Gospel Luke 24: 1-12
GUARD AGAINST DISBELIEF
Beloved, today we are at the Vigil of Easter. What this means is that the following day is Easter itself, and we are keeping watch in this most holy night. This is the vigil of all vigils in the Church's year because it anticipates the highest celebration of the Christian faith — Easter.
We have a series of readings from the Old Testament and the New Testament. These readings talk about our salvation history — how our salvation was worked. In year C, we have the Gospel passage from Luke 24: 1-12. Let us deal with that passage closely.
The Gospel narrative (Lk. 24:1-12) is one of the post-resurrection appearances of Jesus as recorded by Luke. The resurrection, we should know, is the foundation of our Christian faith because without the resurrection, our faith would have been in vain. However, we need to read between the lines in Luke's narrative and notice that even in the portrait of faith, we can still look on and be lead into disbelief and faithlessness.
Let us understand something briefly about Sunday worship. The Gospel begins by situating the event in a certain time and day, thus "on the first day of the week, at early dawn" (Lk. 24: 1). What is that day? Understand that the day or crucifixion preceded the Sabbath for which reason the people had to take Jesus down from the cross and bury him. In fact, Luke previously said, "It was the day of preparation, and the Sabbath was about to begin" (Lk. 23: 54). After doing that, Luke says the women who had come from Galilee with Jesus and were following him after seeing Jesus was laid "rested on the Sabbath according to the commandment" (Lk. 23: 56). The Sabbath was the following day. This means Jesus died on Friday. Therefore, the Sabbath was a Saturday.
Jewish days are counted starting with the evening. From the evening of Wednesday, Thursday had begun. From Thursday evening, Friday commenced. From Friday evening, Saturday had started. Saturday evening would also start Sunday. Since Saturday, the Sabbath ends the Jewish calendaral week, Sunday becomes the first day of the week. That is what Luke is talking about. Very early in the morning on that First Day of the Week was when Luke placed the resurrection encounter, clearly stating that the resurrection took place on Sunday. The day of resurrection gains power over the day of Sabbath. Hence, it becomes the Christian day of worship. In fact, the Apostles and the early Christians gathered on the 'first day of the week' to worship, thus to break bread, which is the metaphor for Eucharistic celebration (Acts 20: 7). This is the foundation of Sunday Mass/Service.
Let us look at three things that can drive us into disbelief even when we are gazing at the evidence of the resurrection.
The first is what we derive from the fact that the women who went early dawn to the tomb to anoint Jesus' body "found the stone rolled away from the tomb; but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus" (24: 2-3). A missing body alone or an empty tomb alone does not mean resurrection has occurred. The absence of the body of Jesus alone does not mean he had risen. For them, it was theft. They were disturbed by this, and they did not know what to do. It took the two men who were in dazzling white to tell reorder their thought as to what actually happened. They said, "He is not here; he is risen" (Lk. 24: 6). This is what gave the proper indication of the resurrection. It is easy to be thrown into such perplexity so that you begin to think that Jesus' body was stolen. That perplexity can lead you into disbelief. The empty tomb only pointed to the resurrection. However, it gained ambiguity because it can also point to theft. You need the assurance of those two men. Do not settle for signs that are ambiguous. They can lead you into disbelief. Those ambiguous signs are not the ends. The end is the confirmation that "He is risen".
The second detail about arriving at disbelief is that the two men told the women who went to the tomb to "Remember what he [Jesus] said to [them] while he was still in Galilee ... " (Lk. 24: 6b). It is clear that these people were forgetful of the past. They were driven into forgetfulness of what Jesus said to them that he would rise again on the third day (24:7). It is actually the third day. Thursday evening to Fiday evening is day one. Friday evening to Saturday evening is day two. Saturday evening to Sunday evening is day three. Jesus did not specify the particular time on the third day. He only said "on third day".
The women forgot about the third day and were carrying spices and perfumed oils to anoint Jesus' body on that same third day. They had the evidence of the resurrection before them, yet due to forgetfulness, they were driving into disbelief. The third day is a day on which the process of decay would have taken place. They saw no hope beyond the grave, when in actuality, Jesus gave that hope before he died: "I will rise again on the third day". The two men reminded them. It is clear that forgetfulness put them on the path of belief. They forgot the hope of resurrection. They had the sign before them and still forgot about the third day. In our trying moments, too, we need to look back to the past and realise how God's hope weaves into our story. The relief we need for the future is given today. When you get into those situations, you need only to REMEMBER. Forgetfulness of God's hope can drive into disbelief.
The last detail about getting into disbelief is the report of the women. The women reported the whole incident to the eleven and to all the others. Their narration was met with disbelief because it seemed like an idle tale or like nonsense. The Greek word translated as nonsense or idle talk is λῆρος (Lēros) and it means something that lacks meaning and clarity. There is no coherence and consistency in it. That they went to the tomb and saw the stone rolled away; that Jesus' body was not there because they would have wondered who would be interested in stealing a dead body; that they saw two men in dazzling white who told them that Jesus is risen because they would have wondered who sees divine beings at that time; and the very fact that the story is being told by women added to the prove that the story is nonsense and does not have clarity.
The issue is that you do not always need to see it yourself in order to believe. Many times, what we believe comes from what we hear, not what we see. Seeking to see before you belief can land you into disbelief.
These three things can form the core of our meditation as we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus. The Resurrection has occurred, but guard against these sources of disbelief in the reality of the resurrection. Guard against settling for what is ambiguous; against forgetfulness; and against the quest to see before you belief. Maybe our hearing should lead us to see. However, such seeing should be propelled by our belief in what we heard. Peter exemplifies this. Among the eleven and others, he was the only one who went to the tomb.
Pax et Bonum
Happy Easter
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