Daily Reflection – 4/13/2020
Daily Reflection – 4/13/2020
Sacred Scripture
Then they went away quickly from the tomb, fearful yet overjoyed, and ran to announce this to his disciples. And behold, Jesus met them on their way and greeted them. They approached, embraced his feet, and did him homage. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.” While they were going, some of the guard went into the city and told the chief priests all that had happened. They assembled with the elders and took counsel; then they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers, telling them, “You are to say, ‘His disciples came by night and stole him while we were asleep.’ And if this gets to the ears of the governor, we will satisfy [him] and keep you out of trouble.” The soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed. And this story has circulated among the Jews to the present [day].( Matthew 28:8-15)
Reflection
The Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is the source of hope for all Christians. Christ’s resurrection completed the work of our Redemption. By his death, Jesus freed us from sins, but by his resurrection he restored us all that we had lost through sin and opened for us the gates of eternal life (cf. Romans 4:25).
The women in today’s scripture were filled with wonder and excitement first from the empty tomb and then at encountering Jesus.. They were in awe, shock, amazement and filled with joy all at the same time. They would have suddenly experienced the amazing realization and hope that Jesus had beaten death itself. They were most likely confused but also filled with a faith that left them with a conviction that something extraordinary had just taken place.
This is the experience we must have today. Today is the second day in the Octave of Easter. That means today is Easter Day once again. So these next eight days are days when we should spend extra time trying to penetrate and experience the same experience these holy women had as they first discovered that Jesus was no longer in the tomb. We must let ourselves engage the mystery of the Resurrection.
We must see it for what it is. We must strive to comprehend this gift and the amazing fact that in His Resurrection, Jesus destroys the effects of sin. He destroys death itself. That is truly amazing!
Do you understand the Resurrection of Christ? It’s only the humble truth for each of us to admit that we need to understand the Resurrection more. We must let not only the truth of the Resurrection sink in, we must also allow the effects of the Resurrection to change us. We must allow the Resurrection of Christ to enter into our souls and invite us to share in this new life today.
As these holy women left the tomb, when they saw Jesus they, “approached, embraced his feet, and did him homage.” This is no small act of adoration and love. This act of worship and adoration of Jesus shows that they not only believed, but also acted by worshiping Him. We must do the same.
Reflect, today, upon the awesome event of the Resurrection and spend time this week in this humble adoration. Try to literally bow down to the ground in homage before the Resurrected Christ. Try to do this literally. If not then sped time each day in prayer and adoration.
Perhaps in the silence of your room, or in a church, or any place that you can comfortably express this literal and physical act of worship and adoration. As you do this, let yourself come face to face with the Risen Lord. And let Him begin to more deeply transform your life!
Prayer of The Day
“Lord, may we always live in the joy and hope of the resurrection and never lose sight of its truth for our lives.”
Daily Note
What is the basis of our faith in the resurrection? The scriptures tell us that “faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen”(Hebrews 11:1). Faith is an entirely free gift that God makes to us. Our faith is a free assent to the whole truth which God reveals to us through his word. Faith is certain because it is based on the very word of God who cannot lie. Faith also seeks understanding. That is why God enlightens the “eyes of our hearts” that we may know what is the hope to which he has called us (Ephesians 1:18). Peter the Apostles says we have been born anew to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead (1 Peter 1:3). Through the gift of faith, the Lord reveals himself to those who believe in his word and he fills them with “new life in his Holy Spirit”. Do you live in the joy and hope of the resurrection? And do you recognize the presence of the Risen Lord in his word, in the “breaking of the bread”, and in the body of Christ?
